The Two Halves of Hermione Granger
by rileypotter17
Summary: Ron and Hermione have been together 6 years. But when he cheats on her, she is left apartmentless and lonely. Her only option is to move in with Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. What will happen when she starts to fall for them at the same time? They each bring out a different side of her-but then both sides start to collide. Hermione/Sirius, Hermione/Remus. *COMPLETE*
1. Moving On and Moving In

**A/N: Welcome to my new venture! I do not own HP or any of JK's characters, I just like to borrow them and play with them. This is a slightly AU fic, not strictly canon. Rated M for a reason. Reviews appreciated! Enjoy!**

"I don't know what to do Harry, it's been 6 years…6 whole years…" Hermione was choking back sobs the best she could manage. It was a pretty Saturday in London, and she never expected such a beautiful day like this would end up so ugly.

"If it makes you feel any better, I told Ron he was a right prat," Harry tried his best to console her. He adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose as his new wife, Ginny Weasley came back into their living room and handed Hermione a cup of tea.

"My brother is an arse," Ginny said softly. It had been 6 years since the battle at Hogwarts, 6 years since Voldemort was gone. And 6 years since Hermione and Ron started dating.

"I had everything planned. Our kids' names, the wedding. I hoped…" she bit her lip to stop some tears, "I just can't believe he would cheat. I don't even know the girl. I don't…"

She was inconsolable. Ginny rubbed her friend's shoulders lightly and Harry tried to tell some poorly timed jokes that did anything but brighten her sullen mood.

"He said I could stay in the apartment with him, but of course I can't! I can't put myself through that torture every day!" she groaned. She had packed her things last night when he had told her he had been cheating on her for a few months. Her bags were waiting and ready to go, but she didn't have enough money saved to put anything down on an apartment so soon. She just hadn't expected it.

"Well…" Harry looked cautiously up at his wife. She shrugged noncommitedly. Hermione caught their look.

"No. No no no. I will not stay with you. I won't be responsible for ruining another relationship! You two just got married, you don't need me hanging around. I'll figure something out," she sighed. She had interviewed for a position as a Professor of Ancient Runes at Hogwarts a few days ago. She hadn't heard back yet. It wasn't her dream position, but it was better than her gig as a Healer's assistant at St. Mungo's and Headmaster McGonagall had promised her that if she got the job, she might be able to swing something else too.

But she hadn't heard back yet, and there wasn't a paycheck in her hand. She needed to get out of her and Ron's old apartment as soon as possible, before he brought whoever he was sleeping with back home.

Harry thought for a moment. Most of their friends were married. Or had new babies. Hermione certainly wouldn't want to inconvience them too. And he knew staying at the Burrow wasn't an option. Too close for comfort there.

"What about Sirius and Remus' place? They have a ton of extra rooms. I'm sure they wouldn't mind having you crash there temporarily," Harry looked up at her hopefully. This wasn't exactly what Hermione wanted to hear, but it was a solid option…

"Stay at their perpetual bachelor pad? I doubt they'd want me there. It would interrupt all of their…erm…shenanigans," Hermione tried to refuse as politely as she could. She didn't want to turn down a good offer, but it was Sirius and Remus he was talking about. She didn't know if she could get cozy there.

"Well, do you want to stick around and see the witch Ron brings home or not?" Harry asked her. She knew he was right. They were all mad at Ron, but it was out of their hands. And she needed a safe place to sleep until she could figure out her money. She couldn't believe she had let her savings go into fixing up that crappy apartment, and helping Ron out when he was tight on funds. It seemed like such a waste now.

"Okay, I think I can manage a few days or so," she gave Harry and Ginny a weak smile.

Oo0oO

"Just got a letter from Harry," Sirius said, deep in thought as he read the piece of parchment. He walked into the kitchen where Remus was sitting with a plate of eggs and bacon.

"Oh? When is he going to let Arthur set him up with a muggle phone? Much more convenient," Remus grinned.

"I know, I know. Boy is stuck in his ways. Just like James was. Look…this is an interesting proposal," Sirius sat down next to his friend at the long, highly polished, mahogany kitchen table and set the parchment in front of Remus. Sirius could barely contain the laughter in his voice. Remus mused over it for a moment, still eating. He then placed his fork down, sat back and chuckled.

"Hermione Granger, move in with us? Ridiculous isn't it?" Sirius couldn't help it anymore. He just started laughing, filling the whole room with his hearty voice.

"Sirius, it's just a few days till she gets on her feet," Remus re-read the letter and was starting to consider it. He always had a soft spot for the young witch, starting from Hogwarts on. He knew how rough break-ups could be—particularly at the moment. He was more than sympathetic.

"Remus you have to be joking! She'd come in here with her smart mouth and criticize everything! And probably try to clean!" he threw his arms up in the air as if that were the worst thing in the world.

"This place could use a good sweep, and it's much too big for the both of us any way. You and your money, you just had to buy out the entire floor of this building and make it a bloody penthouse," Remus gave his friend a sarcastic grin.

"I tried to give half of what I have to Harry but Merlin knows the boy's got half of Gringott's in the bank. I can't live long enough to spend it!" Sirius fake-apologized and Remus read the letter again for the third time.

"A few days, Sirius. She's Harry's best friend. We've known her for ages. She's just one little witch. How bad could it be?" Remus shrugged, looking at his empty plate with apathy. He was so hungry, but too lazy to make some more. Maybe they _did_ need a woman in the house. They were both starting to fall into the role of languorous bachelors without a care in the world. Well, at least Remus was. Sirius had been there for years.

"Fine, fine. I'll send him a bloody owl back telling her to come over tonight," Sirius grumbled, getting up and walking out of the room, fussing about how stupid owl correspondence was now. And Remus just laughed at his friend.

Oo0oO

Hermione was nervous as she carried her one humble little bag up the steps to the apartment complex in the heart of London. She hadn't been here yet. She tried to avoid muggle living as much as possible. But Sirius and Arthur Weasley had become so close the last few years, and even devout Sirius was now touting all of the amazing things that muggle living had to offer. She gave a 'good evening' to the door man and got into the elevator, entering the code for the penthouse floor that Harry had given her. She wasn't sure what to expect, but when the elevator doors opened again, she saw Remus Lupin's smiling face.

"Good to see you Hermione, it's been ages, let me take your bag…" he offered quickly, grabbing it from her. She walked into the gloriously beautiful space and was left without breath for a moment.

"Thanks…this place is beautiful," she couldn't help but admit that it wouldn't be horrible to stay here for a few days.

"This is so light, is this all you brought?" Remus set the bag down on the nearest table.

"It's magicked," she reminded him.

"Brightest witch of our age. C'mon Moony did you really think she wouldn't think of everything?" Sirius Black's voice caught her off guard. He had just walked into the room, arms crossed, surveying her. She always had felt scrutinized under his look even though he had never been anything but nice to her.

"Of course," Remus blushed.

"Professor, how's Tonks?" Hermione asked. He shook his head at the formality but knew it was engrained in her to be so polite. She always had been.

"We're on and off," he told her vaguely.

"Off, definitely off," Sirius smirked, interrupting. Lupin colored and changed the subject.

"I'll show you to your room?" he offered.

"Alright. Thanks for letting me stay here for a few days. I promise I'll be gone as soon as I can. It's just with Ron and…."

"Don't worry, stay as long as you want," Remus gave her a genuine smile, picked up her bag and led her through the spacious living room done up in all black leather to the hallway.

"Oh, wonderful," Sirius mumbled. He truly hadn't expected to feel this way upon Hermione's arrival. He had always admired the girl, but in her younger years had found her grating and gangly. Now – well now was different. And he could tell Lupin felt it too.

Remus led her past both his and Sirius' bedroom to the last guest room of the hall. It was done in soft shades of lavender. Hermione briefly wondered if they had made this girlish room up just for her. Remus caught her look and paled.

"Um, Sirius usually doesn't like to actually sleep with the women he sleeps with," he said softly. Hermione's cheeks flamed and she did not want to know that much information. Nor did she want to know that she was sleeping in the same bed as many others had… but it was a soft, quiet, safe place. And she was thankful.

"I can tell Sirius…"

"No, this is fine, thanks," she walked in and sat down on the edge of the bed. Remus sat her bag down and took a second to look at her when she was looking elsewhere. She had grown up. He saw her occasionally, holidays and such. But he had never truly looked at her. He couldn't help but see she was beautiful. Her hair that was once a bushy mess back at Hogwarts was sleek and smooth today, and long—reaching the middle of her back. Her face was flawless, her eyes bright and her lips a nice rosy shade. Her body had filled out nicely too, although he was embarrassed for looking.

"Need anything else?" he asked, breaking the silence. She looked up at him gently.

"No, thanks. Goodnight Professor," she smiled. He returned it and closed the door gently behind him, walking back down the hall. Sirius was sprawled out of the biggest of the black leather couches in the sitting room, flicking through muggle tv on his ridiculously large flat screen. That was one thing Remus didn't care for. He much preferred his books.

"Well, this is going to be interesting isn't it Moony?" Sirius asked, not looking up at his friend. But they could both tell exactly what the other was thinking.

**A/N: Hope you liked! More to come soon!****HeHe**


	2. Girls and Chocolate

"Friendly wager…that's all Moony. A bet, a simple bet," Sirius' eyes were shining in excitement. He hardly ever got so buzzed about something, but when he did, it was hard to convince him of anything else.

"Pads, you are sick. I won't do it. I can't do it," Remus shook his head. They were having an early breakfast across the table from each other and Sirius was desperately trying to convince Lupin to enter in on a bet as to who would sleep with Hermione first. Of course, Remus was slightly off-put by the suggestion.

"We both know it's been a long time since you've been with anyone. Hey, I'll give you a head-start. I know you are rusty," he grinned at the werewolf who ignored him and pushed food around on his plate, purposely making an annoying scraping noise.

It hadn't even been a full day since Hermione had moved in and both of their hormones were going crazy. They weren't used to being in such close quarters with such a beautiful younger woman and they had stayed up all night…and now Sirius had come up with this outrageous plan.

"No!" Remus nearly growled, "She's a sweet, innocent girl who needs a place to stay and I will not have you taking advantage of her."

"Who say's she wouldn't want it?" Sirius looked up at him with his big puppy eyes,feigning hurt.

"You aren't as young as you use to be," Remus deadpanned. Sirius scoffed, but knew his friend was right. He was starting to feel a little embarrassed at even bringing it up. Back at school…and even shortly after, him and Remus always made bets like this. He usually won…and James never went in on them…being too smitten with Lily. He thought it could be like old times.

"School starts in a week, I don't have time for these games," Remus continued, finally not disgusted enough to finish off his meal. The thought of sleeping with Hermione wasn't the repulsive thing, it was the thought of his best mate doing it as well.

"So she's off limits?" Sirius pouted.

"I don't know what she is, but she just moved in last night and I don't think we should be saying shit like this okay?" Remus started and then finished in a whisper when Hermione walked into the kitchen. She was fully dressed and looked well-rested. She was all smiles as she sat down with them.

"Good morning, roommates," she grinned. Last night she had had trouble falling asleep, but she found that it wasn't terrible to be there in the more than comfy bed and knowing she had two rather brilliant wizards in the same space as her. There was once a time in her life when she didn't knowiIf she could trust anyone, and nights were sleepless. It was always good to feel safe. And she decided whilst getting dressed that it might be fun to be the girl third-wheel to their old time Maurauder bond. Lupin and Sirius, however, were thoroughly shocked at her chipper-ness.

"Morning, Hermione…you got some mail…damn owls…" Sirius pushed a piece of parchment towards her across the dark table and she instantly recognized the red wax seal. It was from Hogwarts. She tore it open and red it quickly.

Dear Miss Granger,

I am pleased to see you have new living arrangements for the time being. I am sure both Professor Lupin and Sirius will keep you on your toes. But regardless, I am pleased to offer you the position of Professor of Ancient Runes for the upcoming term. We expect Professors on campus the day before the students. And you are always welcome to stay at the castle if you decide you are unhappy with your current arrangements. Looking forward to finally working with you.

Headmaster McGonagall

Hermione let out a delighted little squeal at the prospect of her new job. Which meant money. And she could stay at the castle. Not that Sirius' apartment wasn't lovely, but she always hated imposing on people. She quickly showed the letter to Lupin, who gave her a sweet 'congratulations'.

_In your bloody face, Ron_ she grinned smugly to herself. She couldn't have been happier. But for now she was faced with two men twice her age and a whole day of nothing to do. And the thought of nothing to do meant that she would probably spend the better half of the day thinking about Ron. Whom she had barely had a proper cry over as of yet.

Just that thought made her tear up and she realized that moving in with two men who didn't seem to know the first thing about relationships wasn't the brightest idea. She hated that all of her closest girlfriends were married and she was still single. She stood up and held back her sniffles before walking directly back to her lavender room and slamming the door.

"Hermione!" Sirius called after her, "You can't just get up and leave the bloody table!" he yelled.

"What are you, her father?" Remus smirked and the animagus blushed.

"I'm not used to this at all…" he mumbled. The girl was making him feel all sorts of nonsense. For Merlin's sake she was nothing but a pretty ball of sunshine and two minutes later she was out of the room crying, "Go talk to her Moony, I'm no good with girls."

"And you think I am? For fuck's sake Tonks and I have broken up more times than I can remember. And this last one was for good. How am I supposed to go comfort her?" Remus asked, although he wanted to.

"I told you I'd give you a head start…this is it man, go," Sirius nodded towards the hallway. His eyes were happily crinkled. Sirius was always up for a game or a challenge. And it was beginning to look like Hermione Granger would be one that they shared.

After a moment of contemplation, Remus stood up, gave Sirius a pat on the back as he passed his friend and walked gingerly down the hall and knocked on Hermione's closed door. A strangled, sniffle-infused noise beckoned him in and he entered and softly clicked the door closed behind him. He cast a silencing spell as an afterthought because he knew Sirius would probably want to listen in like the nosy bastard he was.

"Hermione, are you alright?" Lupin asked, moving to sit on the side of the bed that she wasn't occupying. She was facing away from him, curled up, and sobbing. _Stupid git of course she's not alright she's bloody crying!_ Remus said to himself and moved a gentle hand to her back and began to rub in what he hoped was a comforting manner. Her sobs eased up after a few moments.

"No," she finally sighed. Her voice sounded so small.

"Is it about Ron? Look, I know that break-ups can be awful. If it makes you feel any better, Tonks cheated on me. Many times actually. It's not anything that you did wrong. You are a smart, beautiful girl…" he stopped, hoping he hadn't crossed any line. But she seemed fine and her crying had eased up almost completely.

"I loved him, I do…I think…" Hermione dissolved again and he moved a bit closer, still rubbing her back.

"You will get through this. You are a strong girl Hermione…"

Before he could finish his next round of comforting, Hermione flipped over and nearly thrust herself into his arms on the bed, crying onto the shoulder of his tweed jacket. He was shocked to feel her body pressed against him, and then he relaxed and let her cry onto him, holding her close.

"Oh Professor, I'm sorry…" she sat back after a moment and he let her out of his arms. She looked beautiful even though her face was a little blotchy from the tears. He wanted to wipe them away from her large, pretty eyes, but knew he couldn't.

"Don't be sorry. And please Hermione, call me Remus. We are working together after all, it's practically a rule now that you have to call me that…" he grinned and she seemed unconvinced but at least a little happier to have let out her emotions.

"Sorry for all of this. It's barely ten in the morning and I can't even get a grip on myself," she laughed through the remainder of her tears and wiped her eyes herself. Remus couldn't stop looking at her.

"It's not a problem. Sirius and I aren't used to having such pleasant company. Come on, let's go dig into my secret stash of chocolate Sirius doesn't know about yet. You look like you could use some," Remus smiled and took her hand, leading her out of the bedroom.

**A/N: Sorry it's a little short…but I really want to go watch the Olympics right now haha. So yeah…and there will be sex, don't worry, keep your hats on. They just can't dive right into it! Who are you looking forward to the most, Remus and Hermione or Sirius and Hermione?**


	3. Ready or Not

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! EEEE I love you guys. Once again, they are not my property, I am just borrowing them. Love you all.**

"Ugh, I need to go for a run," Hermione groaned after quickly devouring half of a dark chocolate bar that her and Remus had decided to split. They were sitting on opposite ends of the leather couch in the living room and had been talking about everything and nothing at all for a while as she silently drowned her momentary emotional outburst with his candy. He watched her pop the last bit in her mouth and uncoiled her legs that had been cutely tucked up underneath her.

"You run?" Remus asked, slightly amused. He didn't have to do much exercise himself; the full moon took care of that every month. If anything he needed to eat more than he already did.

"Most days, it helps me to clear my head," Hermione told him, getting off of the couch and walking to her room. She came back a few minutes later in a pair of tight black cropped sweat pants and a teal tank top. She was hastily tying up her hair in a ponytail and she had trainers on her feet. As she walked by, Remus could not help but take a moment and stare at her amazingly cute little ass in those pants.

"See you late, 'Mione," Remus managed and she was gone. He stood up, his semi-erection starting to create a bulge in his pants and he was glad she had left. He called out for Sirius and found his voice coming from the farthest space of the penthouse—her new bedroom.

"Pads, what are you doing?" Remus asked, eyes wide and in a look of half disbelief and half amusement as he found his best friend digging through Hermione's drawers. She had unpacked all of her things, and now her clothes were being tossed all over the floor by Sirius.

"Looking. That's all. I want to see if I can…aha!" Sirius said triumphantly, having stumbled across her stash of bras and knickers. They were all lacy and feminine, but definitely sexy. Most of the things were black…and skimpy.

"Fuck," Remus whispered.

"This is promising Moony. I mean…just think…when you two go back to school, you can bend her over your desk and…"

"Enough, put her stuff back," Remus told his friend. This was odd territory. Sure, Remus and Sirius had slept with the same people. In their circle, it was hard not to have an overlap. But they had never fancied a bird at the same time. Ever. Sirius waved his wand and her drawers filled back up with her clothes, everything neatly folded and perfect.

It wasn't that Remus didn't think they could manage. He knew they could. Him and Sirius had a very special relationship. They were sometimes like two halves of the same person. They just understood each other. And they certainly understood each other sexually. They had lived with each other for long enough. And there had been the occasional nights they didn't talk about, where one or the other was lonely. And they fucked. Remus knew how Sirius was in the bedroom. Sirius knew likewise. And those two worlds were very different.

But Remus was still trying to wrap his head around Hermione. He knew that Sirius had already mentally undressed and fucked the girl on every available surface of the apartment, but Remus was having a hard time deciding if he could take advantage of her so soon after a break-up. Regardless if she was willing. He respected the girl too much to have her hate him in the end. No, that would hurt too badly.

Sirius wasn't big on consequences like that. He lived in the moment. He had enough money to, and luckily enough brains to. And he also wasn't a werewolf—a simple fact that prevented Remus from thinking he was worthy of much on a daily basis; even though Sirius drilled it into him that he was and should be proud of himself.

He had loved Tonks and she couldn't handle it. Hermione had always been accepting of his curse, but what if it proved too much?

Sirius caught Remus staring off into space, thinking of all of these things and quickly brought the marauder back to earth.

"Think of the sex Moony. The girl clearly needs to forget about Weasley, she fell into our arms, and we need to take care of her. I like her; she can be one of us. I'll share you," Sirius winked at him and he blushed a bit. They had often sectioned themselves off from their friends, being so used to just being together. It would be nice to have a trio, and to have a woman's energy around. Besides the sex, Sirius made a great point.

"Do you think she'd even want to?" Remus wondered aloud.

"Did you see her knickers? Are those the knickers of a girl who doesn't want to have sex?" Sirius asked, he walked to the closet and started rifling through her hanging clothes, "But we might have to take her shopping…"

"That's your territory Pads, not mine," Remus smirked, patting his tattered jacket. The other wizard smoothed his hair and turned back to his friend.

"Tonight. We start. No rules. No competition. But she can't know we are both in on this," Sirius said very seriously. He wanted them to both pursue her and then when the time was right…they might think of bringing it all together. But not now, and not anytime soon. The girl wasn't ready for that yet.

"Fine."

"We need to get her going. See if this is going to work. I'm going to call Angelika. Wait for Hermione," Sirius said quickly. Remus grinned, he knew what his best mate was up to, and it was going to set the tone for the night. They would tag team. Take turns. It would all be perfect. And Remus knew it wouldn't be easy to share her, but Sirius would be the only person he could manage it with.

And maybe they could live a fun life for a while—the three of them, but he knew Hermione was a reasonable woman. And she would want to settle down. And she would choose—eventually—but she would choose.

And that would be where things got messy.

Remus shook his head to make the thought go away and he went to do as he was told. He lingered in the foyer, reading the prophet, and waiting for Hermione to come back.

Sirius couldn't have timed it any more perfectly. His witch friend, Angelika, who used to be one of his regular fucks, had shown up right away. She had a soft spot for Sirius, but she was in a relationship with someone else and he explained what he needed. She was a pretty witch, closer to him and Remus' age, with short blonde hair and a lovely body.

Remus watched them both disappear into his room and shut the door. He knew they weren't having sex; he would be able to smell it…let alone hear it since Sirius wasn't one to keep quiet. Remus heard the door unlock and Hermione walked back into the penthouse from the elevator, looking quite flushed and exhausted from her run. She had been gone a long while, thankfully.

Almost as if on cue, Sirius and Angelika emerged from his bedroom, their voices and her giggles could be heard wafted from down the hall and when they came out from around the corner, Hermione started blushing profusely and made herself look busy in the adjoining kitchen.

Sirius was half naked. Just wearing his dark fitted jeans. No shirt, no shoes. Angelika's hair was mussed and her lipstick purposely smeared. She was overly adjusting her clothes. Remus rolled his eyes at the show, but Hermione had no idea it was a show. She was staring.

Sirius pretended that no one else existed. He whispered something into her ear and she giggled. And that was when Remus knew. He could smell Hermione getting wet. Her smell was delicious, unlike anything he'd ever experienced. It was a curse to him that he could smell a woman's arousal because of his keen senses from the bite, because it drove him mad.

But this…this would kill him, he knew it. She smelled so heavenly.

He turned his eyes back to watching her. She was sipping some water slowly from a glass and leaning against the kitchen island, her back slightly arched and her ass sticking out just a bit. Her eyes were slowly trailing down Sirius' body. She wasn't aware of herself looking.

Finally Sirius said goodbye to his friend, walking her out and then closing the door to leave just the three of them alone.

"Did you have a nice run Hermione?" he asked, hands on his hips. Remus couldn't believe the brashness of his friend. Sometimes his theatrics were a bit too much. He was going to make the poor girl faint.

"Mhmm…erm…ya…" she mumbled, setting her glass down in the sink, "I'm going to just go…er…shower…" she pointed down the hall awkwardly and sped off. When she was out of earshot, Sirius turned to Remus.

"She was wet for you," Remus answered softly.

"And you should have seen the way she was licking her fingers eating that chocolate earlier in front of you. She wants both of us," Sirius smirked.

"She'll make a move then. All in good time," Remus patted his friend on the back.

After a rather uneventful rest of the day where Remus and Sirius were acting positively normal to Hermione, they had a nice quiet dinner and eventually they all went off to bed. Hermione didn't understand it. She was so sexually charged up from her morning with Remus. She was so upset about Ron and then he had comforted her, and she had thought they had been flirting on the couch. And then…coming back from a run and seeing Sirius escorting one of his fucks out the door.

That had certainly been unexpected. Hermione had known Sirius was quite the playboy bachelor. Harry had told her some things. It was no surprise. He was wealthy and handsome. And not in that order. But to see it…well it turned her on in some base way. He was so cavalier. And he looked so sexy, just walking out in nothing but some perfectly fitting jeans. It was hot. And she had been fired up about that the rest of the day.

And then they had just acted like the Sirius and Remus she knew. Two nice men who were letting her crash there. It was so bizarre. She had felt the tension, she was sure of it, and here she was lying in her bed at the end of the hall thinking about both of them and wondering if she was brave enough to do what she wanted to do.

She finally started to pep talk herself into it.

_Hermione, you are a pretty girl, who has had a shitty week. Your boyfriend of 6 years dumped you for some skank and here you are staying with two gorgeous older, single men so what the hell. What can you possibly lose?_

She knew she just had to try. She got out of bed and tip-toed across the floor. She was only wearing some pink lacy boy shorts and a matching bra and she didn't bother to cover up. She slowly left her room and walked down the hall to the space between Sirius and Remus' rooms. She didn't know.

She wanted both of them. She wanted to know what they were both like. But she was scared Remus would reject her…after all, they were colleagues now. She gave his bedroom door a sad glance before turning to Sirius'. Her heart started to beat out of her chest as she tried the knob and found it unlocked.

**A/N: Please review! The more reviews the faster you can find out exactly what Hermione and Sirius do Love you guys!**


	4. Her Second

**A/N: Wow! It is so nice to see the follows and the favorites and the reviews. You guys are amazing. I know you have a huge choice of fics out there to read, so thanks for choosing mine. Xo Rileypotter17**

**This chapter is rated M for a reason people.**

Hermione stopped dead in her tracks when she entered the room and saw that Sirius was very much awake. He was lying in his large bed with his hands behind his head, cradling it into the soft pillow under him. He was shirtless as far as Hermione could tell. The rest of his body was covered by the silky red sheets on his bed. His whole room was dark crimson and black. It was rather fitting, she mused, before turning back to thinking about the situation at hand – Sirius Black half naked in his bed and looking at her with the most intense stare she had ever seen from him.

He let one of his arms fall from behind his head and land on the other, empty half of the bed; beckoning her over. Her legs instinctively moved and soon she was crawling onto the four poster, her knees loving the soft sheets against them, and coming to sit next to Sirius. He looked up at her, his eyes finding her in the dark room.

She couldn't believe what she was doing. She never would have thought that at any point in her life would she be sitting on Sirius Black's bed in her underwear with all intentions of letting him ravage her if he so wanted.

"What are you doing up? Couldn't sleep? Do you want a bedtime story?" he voice was sarcastic but in a playful way, and laced with something decidedly darker and sexier.

"I honestly have no idea why I am here," she breathed. That was the only thing that came to her mind. She wasn't up for a verbal sparring match of wit with Black. She just wanted him inside of her.

"Have you come to berate me about the playboy lifestyle you find so abhorrent, or scold me about dicking around and…"

"Shut up, Black," she smiled when she realized he was smirking at her, "Maybe tomorrow, but right now I have something else in mind."

He arched an eyebrow at her in pure awe. She had just as well as given him full permission, so he wasn't going to wait a second longer. He sat up and pressed his lips to hers. She tasted heavenly, like vanilla and oranges and she smelled even better. He nibbled on her lip and entwined his fingers in her silky hair, pulling her down on top of him.

Their bodies met in frenzy as his skilled hands moved to strip her of her lacy bra and fling it across the room in haste, and then his hands trailed down her smooth skin to her hips where he held her as she was grinding against him, moaning softly.

Hermione wanted to touch him, to touch all of him, and she ran her soft, small fingers down his marked chest to his naval where she pleasantly discovered that under the silky red sheets, Sirius slept absolutely naked.

The lustful look in her eyes when she saw him for the first time was something Sirius never wanted to forget. He watched the girl take him in her hand and slowly stroke him. Her touch was extraordinary, and he was rock hard in her hand. As much as he wanted to watch her all day long, he couldn't very well let the beautiful witch in front of him be so far away from him for much longer.

He grabbed her arm and forcefully pulled her back on top of him so that her full breasts finally touched his chest and he wrapped his arms around her, keeping her there for a moment. He wanted that small moment of intimacy before he fucked her until she couldn't remember her own name.

After he had breathed her in once more, he couldn't wait. He flipped her so she was below him and he cupped her breasts in his hands hard and possessively before sliding in her and thrusting hard. She moaned as she threw her head back against the pillow and he dove down for her neck, kissing and sucking the sweet delicate flesh hard enough that he knew he would leave marks. He wanted to mark her all over.

His hands twisted her nipples, pulling at them until she screamed in pleasure. They both bucked their hips wildly as they raced towards orgasm, but occasionally Sirius would slow, pulling out of her, denying her. And she would plead as he would slowly rub her clit and tease her before shoving his length back inside of her. He pulled her hair and they kissed each other with bruised lips as she clenched her hands on his shoulders and he finally allowed her an earth-shattering orgasm. It was like nothing else she had ever felt before. She couldn't see or breathe for seconds, and when she finally came out of the fog-like stupor she felt Sirius' hot seed filling her up as he spent himself inside of her.

It had all been so quick and dirty, and they fell back onto the bed, still connected. Hermione had never had sex like that. Ever.

**ooooo**

Remus was wide awake in his room, as Sirius had not bothered to put his usual silencing spells on his room during their romp. The werewolf knew this was on purpose. He wanted his friend to hear Hermione, to hear them having sex. It was cruel, but Sirius could be like that.

_No competition. Yeah, right_, Lupin smirked as he stroked his now hard cock from listening to Hermione's beautiful moans. It had been a fast bout of fucking, which Remus knew was rather unusual for Sirius—who was insatiable and could go for hours. But whatever had transpired between his best friend and Hermione had sounded rather intense.

He had no idea the girl could make sounds like that. And he was fairly certain those were mild. He knew what Sirius could be like, and by all means he had been gentle with the girl tonight.

Remus heard their heavy breathing turn to little whispers. He couldn't hear what they were saying but he really didn't care. He got himself off quickly to thoughts about what it would be like to have her as well and in minutes he lay breathless, his cum on his stomach, and his mind reeling at the possibility of what Hermione was bringing into their lives.

**ooooo**

"Was Ronald your first?" Sirius asked softly, his face buried in her hair as they spooned in his bed moments after their romp. Hermione was still blissfully post-coital, but not enough that this question about her private life went easily answered. She started to become shy that instant. She felt nervous being naked in his arms. Sirius could sense it and pulled her closer.

"I'm sorry…" he began but she cut him off.

"Yes, he was," she whispered. The thought of Ron made her enormously sad, even right now. But she knew why Sirius was asking. He was always nosy like that, "Was I really that awful?"

Sirius smirked. She wasn't awful at all. Inexperienced, but he knew she would be a quick learner. He could tell she could be a real sex kitten if given the encouragement…and the fact that she had come into his room was promising indeed.

"No, you were far from it. You just seemed a little sexually tense," Sirius told her, stroking the length of her arm and then back up it lazily.

"It was never like _that_," she blushed, thankful he couldn't see her face. Sirius had already figured that one out. The girl had acted like she hadn't had a proper orgasm in her life. _He would have been doing a disservice if he hadn't helped her out, right? _He tried to convince himself that he didn't like the feeling of cuddling with her in his bed.

But Sirius Black didn't cuddle_. With any woman. Ever._

That was something Remus did. Cuddling and hand-holding and all the mushy prat-ish things that came along with strings attached.

He knew this was going to be harder than he imagined. But he was the one that had started it, suggested it, and now had gone through with it. He slowly took his hands off of her, and rolled over.

"_Sirius doesn't actually sleep with the women he sleeps with"_ Remus' words rang in Hermione's ears so loud they were practically deafening. She knew what he was doing, and she gathered her panties and her bra, put them on and swung her legs off of the bed, her feet touching the cold hardwood floor.

"G'night Hermione, see you in the morning," he said casually, turning so that he didn't see her walk out of the room. She didn't respond. He figured she was mildly upset…but this is what he did. _She was the one that had been obviously horny in the middle of the night. What did she expect? A bloody bouquet of roses_? Sirius knew he was being harsh, but he was doing it for his own protection. He rolled over and drifted off to sleep.

Hermione crept back to her room, carefully not to awaken Lupin, who was, unknown to her, awake and very much thinking about her. She slipped back into her now cold bed and tried to drift off, but her mind kept replaying that experience.

She had just had sex. Hot, rough, dirty sex with Sirius Black in the room next to Remus Lupin right after Ron Weasley had dumped her. Her mind reeled. She looked at the clock; she had only been away half an hour. He had barely cuddled with her.

She frowned, but wasn't surprised. After Remus' statement and common knowledge of Sirius in general, he wasn't exactly the cuddling type. But she couldn't stop thinking about him, and she knew, from that moment that things had changed. And there was no way they could go back now.

**A/N: Review please! The more reviews the quicker I update with amazing new things for you to read! YAY! More Remus and Sirius goodness!**


	5. Secrets Don't Stay Secrets For Long

**A/N: See, reviews do help people! Thanks for reading- you guys are simply the best. Or maybe it's the ship. And hopefully you guys like me a little too ; ) haha!**

"She's gone, what the hell did you do her?" Remus was furious the instant he had woken up and saw her empty bed. The shower wasn't running, she wasn't in the kitchen either, and he found Sirius drinking a cup of tea in the sun room off of the kitchen. Its floor to ceiling windows gave a most spectacular view of the city. And he was just in black silk pajama pants. No shirt, reading the prophet and putting some sugar into his tea when Remus stormed in like an animal hell bent on killing something.

Sirius didn't answer, he just swirled the sugar with the spoon until it melted into his earl grey. He had been up for an hour or so, it was still early – barely eight, so whenever Hermione had left, it had been a long time before.

"Answer me you dog, what the fuck did you do?" Remus yelled. He didn't know why he was so angry, but he knew it had to partially do with the fact that he was developing a crush on Hermione and was rather jealous that she had gone to Sirius first. And that Padfoot had done something to make her joyful presence leave.

Sirius finally turned to his best mate with a rather sad look on his face, "I don't know. She came into my room, we had sex, she left. Who knows, maybe she's having breakfast with the Potters…" he tried to keep his voice casual, but he felt guilty inside. He knew why she had left.

"What did you say to her?" Remus growled. His feral anger had calmed a bit, but he was still pissed.

"Her stuff isn't gone. I'm sure you looked – so she didn't really leave. She's out. That's all," Sirius shrugged with his cavalier air and this pissed off Remus even more.

"She's not in a good emotional state!"

"Are you sure we are talking about her here, or you Remus?" Sirius stood up from the chair, facing his friend, "Because you seem to be a tad bit touchy this morning."

"Sex isn't simple when you just break up with someone," Remus continued.

"I wouldn't know," Sirius' eyes were dark. That was the whole problem. He didn't know.

"You fucking pulled your normal shit with her didn't you?" Remus said incredulously. Normally the quieter man was much more reserved, but with it being so close to the full moon in a few days, and his hormones raging from Hermione's presence and sudden lack there-of, he couldn't be contained.

Sirius' guilty face told the wolf all he needed to know. Remus took a deep breath to calm his thin, shaking body and looked at Sirius with a face full of disappointment.

"Alright, alright, I feel a bit bad about it. But you know me Moony, I don't cuddle. I don't do intimacy. I fuck. I thought that's what she wanted," Sirius explained. Both men looked at a loss for words for a moment.

"Maybe she did. But she's lonely and I think she hoped you would provide a bit more companionship. I hoped you would have Sirius, after all its Hermione, not one of the vapid whores you bring around," Remus sighed. Sirius looked slightly defensive for a second, but moved on. Remus was, unfortunately, always right about these things.

"Fine, I'll apologize, or something," Sirius shook his head lazily, and forgetting about his tea, he got up and walked past Remus towards his room.

Lupin flicked his wand and the dirty dishes went into the sink and started washing themselves. It was part of their agreement. Sirius let him live there rent free and he picked up a bit. But when his best mate was being an arse, he did mind it.

"Oh, and when 'Mione gets back tell her she can join me in the shower!" Sirius called from his bedroom. Lupin could just see the big smile on his friend's face and didn't acknowledge his arrogance with a reply. Typical Sirius.

**ooooo**

"Merlin Hermione, it's bloody early," Harry said, but his grinning face told her he was happy to see her. Ginny's delighted squeals from the inside of their beautiful little house told her that she would be in good, caring hands for the morning.

"It's nine, Harry…I know you like to sleep the day away but…"

"Sleeping isn't what me and Gin are doing when we sleep in," he winked at her and she gave him a large shove in disgust.

She had left the penthouse very early, grabbed a traditional English breakfast at a quaint little wizard B&B near Ginny and Harry and took a walk around the edges of the city before making her way to their house in the suburbs. She had needed time to think about last night, and now she needed her best girlfriend.

"Gross Harry," she smiled and gave Ginny a big hug as the red head rushed to her. They all sat down in the living room after and Harry looked amused as he watched his best friend and his wife.

"How's living with my Godfather?" Harry asked innocently, and her eyes darkened. She didn't really want to talk about that.

"Fine, have you seen Ron?" Hermione asked, thinking she might as well get all of the unpleasant conversation out in the open. Ginny shook her head.

"Mum pretty much banned him from family dinners," Ginny said with a tone that perfectly conveyed how content with that particular decision she was. Hermione felt a little relieved.

"I got the job as the Ancient Runes professor at Hogwarts!" Hermione told them, trying to interject some good news and they both smiled knowingly. It seems someone had gotten to them before she did.

"We know, Neville couldn't help but spill the beans, congrats love," Harry told her sincerely. He knew Hermione had been struggling for a while because she wanted to make it on her own without anyone's help, but he hated to see her do it. She shouldn't have had to. She was one third of the golden trio, after all.

Hermione smiled at him and Ginny could tell by the uneasy way Hermione was sitting and the slight darkness in her eyes that she was upset about something. She had known the girl long enough to know her tells.

"Harry, could you go into town and pick us up some fresh bread and cheese for lunch? We should eat outside this afternoon. It's a rare gorgeous day," she smiled sweetly and he was happy to comply. He gave his new wife a sweet kiss on the forehead before heading out, and Hermione was momentarily jealous f their easy, beautiful relationship.

"Spill," Ginny turned on the brunette like an attack dog on a burglar. She sat wide-eyed on the floral couch for a minute.

"Wha..?"

"I know something is going on. You came here at bloody nine in the morning, so spill before I hex it out of you!" Ginny continued and Hermione knew that she was cornered. And shortly after that the words spilled out her mouth.

"I slept with Sirius last night," she said before she could stop herself.

"Like, in the same room. In a separate bed," Ginny closed her eyes, wishing she could just be naïve.

"No, like him inside of me. You obviously know all about that type of behavior," Hermione turned it back on her and Ginny let out a deep breath she had been holding.

"Holy shit Hermione. You and Sirius? It hasn't even been a week since you've been living there! How did this happen?"

"It just did…I…I went into his room and we did it and now I feel like absolute crap about it," she sighed.

"Does Remus know?"

"Course not," Hermione bristled. At least she hoped he didn't.

"Merlin's beard you little slut…" Ginny started laughing but Hermione could not have looked more serious if she tried. The daggers she was throwing from her eyes were enough to momentarily shut Ginny up.

"Forgive me for asking but was he good? Mum always goes on about his philandering and I…" Ginny blushed.

"No complaints," she blushed in reply, "But it wasn't warm, you know…me and Ron, well we…"

"Don't bring my stupid arse of a brother into this Hermione Jean Granger. I don't care, you don't need him," it was blunt but it was the truth.

"I just thought I could have a quick rebound with Sirius, but it's so complicated with him…and with Remus…living there isn't exactly as easy as I thought it would be," Hermione sighed.

"I still can't believe you slept with Sirius Black," Ginny said in disbelief at the same moment Harry apparated back into the house with a loud 'pop'.

"That was fast dear…"

"I forgot my money," Harry said softly, distracted, before turning to Hermione, "You need to go to St. Mungo's _now_," his voice was firm.

Hermione looked up at him as if he was crazy. Ginny did as well.

"Harry…what's the…?"

"YOU SLEPT WITH MY GODFATHER!" he yelled so loudly it filled up the house. He wasn't angry…no…the look on his face was pure horror.

"I was…"

"I don't care, the man has slept with every woman in London, you need to go get yourself checked out," Harry looked at her as if he might catch something.

"That is incredibly rude Harry, that is _your_ Godfather!" Hermione protested.

"And you are my best mate, you do not know half of what I know about him, alright?" Harry looked at her with true concern.

"Harry you are being ridiculous, go back and shop…Hermione and I were having a_ private_ conversation," Ginny said exasperatedly. The look her and Harry exchanged signaled to Hermione that they were probably going to fight after she left. He sat down in defiance. He was always doing things the way he wanted.

"Whatever Hermione has to say, she can say it in front of me," Harry crossed his arms and leaned back into the chair. Hermione grimaced. She didn't know if this visit was such a good idea after all.

**A/N: Sorry it's short but I wanted to get something up for you all for being so awesome!**


	6. Making Love

**A/N: I am just floored by the number of follows of this fic already. It would make my life if it could become popular, because I admire so many other popular HG/SB and HG/RL authors on here and want to be just like them! Haha sorry for my rant.**

Hermione left the Potter's late that same afternoon feeling rather emotionally exhausted. They had talked through the morning, had the nice lunch Ginny had planned in their beautiful backyard, and then talked some more. Some of the conversation was light and manageable for Hermione – but that was Ginny's doing. Harry always seemed to turn it back to his Godfather and how he didn't want his best friend to be on the cover of _Witch Weekly_ or _Wizard_ with some made-up article about how she was the playboy's newest conquest. Hermione had to admit he had a valid point. The girl didn't follow the wizard tabloids like the rest of her friends did, but her stomach turned a bit when Ginny brought up just how many times Sirius had been in the gossip column in the last year for one thing or another.

He was London's most eligible bachelor, and she was Hermione Granger—Harry Potter's best friend and 'Golden Trio' girl. They were amazing fodder for a magazine article. Or ten. Hermione couldn't believe that her rational self hadn't thought of anything like this before she had just barged into his room and basically asked him to have sex. She supposed it was pretty much her fault if she caught a bloody disease from him or was pregnant. She hadn't even thought about anything.

She had never been so irrational in her entire life. And now she was walking into the lobby of the apartment she shared with him, her purse laden with dozens of vials of contraceptive potion that Ginny had urged her to take and a mind reeling with Harry's stories about his Godfather having threesomes and much, much worse. Stuff that Hermione couldn't figure out why Harry would even want to know, but she shook it off and got into the lift.

"Remus, Sirius, I'm back!" she called out lightly. It was so bizarre living with them and knowing that the place wasn't hers in the slightest. She set her purse down on the table in the hallway and was surprised when she didn't get a response. She found Remus in the living room, sprawled out on the couch and clearly dozing. She smiled a bit at the cute sight of him with his sandy hair across his forehead and the relaxed look on his face as he slept. She suddenly had an overwhelming urge to lie down next to him on the spacious leather couch and snuggle up to him. She walked forward and saw an empty chocolate bar wrapper on the floor next to the couch. A quick calculation reminded Hermione that the full moon was only two days away and a surge of sympathy rushed through her. She had always tried her best to understand what he was going through – but now that she was living with the man, she knew she would experience it firsthand.

Walking over to him, she placed a hand on his arm and he jolted awake, looking up at her with fluttering eyes from sleep he finally smiled.

"You've been gone a long time, are you alright?" Remus asked, sitting up on the couch with a groan. Hermione joined him in the empty space he left as he curled his legs up closer to his body and yawned. He peered at her over his knees and she was struck with how young he suddenly appeared. There was an innocence in him that was slowly fading away by the second from after his nap, but it endeared her to him.

"I was at Harry's, just catching up," she said as casually as he could and she couldn't help but notice he looked relieved.

"How are the Potter's doing?"

"Good, Ginny's a handful, as ever though," Hermione grinned and a comfortable silence fell over them as he coaxed himself to being fully awake and she tried to brush Harry's comments from out of her mind when her thoughts fell to Sirius.

Almost as if reading those thoughts, Remus said, "He's gone. Left a while ago. We had a row this morning and I suppose he won't be back until late tonight."

"What were you guys fighting about?" she asked curiously. She hoped it wasn't about her or what happened last night. She didn't want Remus to know.

He saw the look on her face and decided that a little white lie would suffice, "I just told himself he should put himself to good use instead of lying about all day here. But you know Sirius…"

Hermione smiled in response and then got up off the couch, realizing that she was pretty hungry. She walked over to the kitchen, Remus surreptitiously glancing back at her every few seconds.

"I suppose it's just me and you then for dinner?" she said as she looked through the dismally empty cupboards and realized there was nothing she could make, "Um, Remus…there is absolutely no food," she said as she turned back to him. He blushed from his seat on the couch.

"It's a bachelor pad…well it was until you moved in…what did you expect?" he shrugged and she couldn't help but laugh.

"How in the world do two forty-something year old men survive here?" she grinned.

"Forty-three years old, love. Sirius gets touchy about that," he smirked and the way his scarred face curled up into a smile made Hermione's heart race.

"Take-out then, I guess," she sighed. He got up and walked over to her and she had to hold onto the kitchen counter to keep her balance. Watching him walk was truly an experience right now. He seemed more confident, there was a slight little swagger to his gait, and his eyes were just a touch darker. All side-effects of his impending change she noted, but she wasn't complaining. It was sexy.

"I'll get it. Why don't you change into something comfortable and we will have a night in waiting for Pads to get back, yeah?" Remus suggested and she nodded in happy agreement. He walked out the door and she heard a muffled 'pop' as he apparated. The wards and spells the two had placed on the penthouse made it impossible to apparate in or out of the apartment itself, which Hermione was glad for. If she had to live somewhere, this was the safest place for her.

She grabbed her things and walked to her bedroom, musing about how quickly she had come to love the space they had provided as her own. She set the contraceptive spells in a drawer and locked it with her wand before pulling out her favorite pair of sweatpants and a tank top. She changed quickly and brushed out her hair so that it was a little more manageable. She hadn't straightened it today, but since it was so long now, the bushiness of her childhood wasn't an issue anymore. She cast a quick glamour spell on her face to freshen it up and walked back out to the living room.

The penthouse was huge, and there were rooms she hadn't even seen yet, but she knew one day she would get to explore when she had some more time alone. She was glad she hadn't chanced it because a moment or two after she sat down on the couch again, Remus was back with a delicious smelling bag of food.

But as his eyes fixed on her in her tight gray sweatpants that hugged her curves just right and the thin white tank top that swooped low enough to give an ample eyeful of her cleavage, Remus was no longer that hungry for food. He bit his lip and set the bag down on the sofa table before walking into the kitchen for some drinks. It gave him a moment to calm down as he grabbed two goblets and a good bottle of mead before returning to Hermione.

She had already dug into the bag and pulled out the food, digging into a carton of Lo-mein. "Chinese?" she mused, looking up at him in curiosity.

"Sirius hates it. So I always indulge when he's on one of his binges," Remus winked at her, settling down next to the pretty witch and helping himself.

"Binges?"

"Women, booze, and drugs. They've become less frequent as of late, but he left here in a rare mood," Lupin said softly. Hermione suddenly had a bad taste in her mouth and it wasn't the food. She felt both upset that she didn't know about Sirius' habits and that she had thought sleeping with him might have meant a little something to him. They ate in silence for a moment, both rather ravenous until the take out cartons were empty and they were lounging back on the couch sipping their mead. Hermione's feet were touching Lupin's whose were warmer than hers as she held her goblet up to her lips and took a long sip.

"Thanks for taking me in," Hermione turned to her former professor and thanked him. He blushed slightly as he looked at her beautiful face.

"Of course, Hermione," he replied and they soon fell into an easy conversation about books and Hogwarts and teaching. It was one in the morning when Hermione crashed out on the couch next to Lupin. He was surprised that after how emotional she had been she had lasted this long. He cleaned up and then picked her up in his arms gently to take her to bed.

As he walked down the hall, he wondered if he should place her in her own bed, or in his. They had seemed like they had flirted all night, and she had been lying across his chest when she had finally closed her eyes. Remus sighed at the beautiful sleeping girl in his arms and decided to just take a chance. He walked into his room and laid her down on the bed, tucking her up beneath the covers and she snuggled cutely into one of the pillows. He took off his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt as he turned off the light. He kicked off his pants and crawled into bed besides her in just his black boxer briefs. He tried to keep his distance at first, but he wanted her warm body next to his and soon pulled her close and fell asleep.

**00000**

Sirius stumbled into the penthouse piss drunk around four thirty in the morning, holding a bottle of firewhiskey that was nearly empty. He was alone. He didn't really remember where he had been the entire night, but he was high and drunk and he had went to one of his favorite haunts to try and pick up a girl or two and all he could think about was Hermione the entire time. And that pissed him off. He wasn't the type of guy to have one girl on the brain for more than twenty-four hours and he fumbled around in the dark for a moment before making his way down the hall. He wanted to check on her, to make sure she had come back, and when he saw the door to her room ajar he poked his head in.

"'Mione love?" he slurred, not seeing her anywhere he ambled back down the hall and made to go to bed when he heard two distinct breathing patterns coming from Remus' room. He poked his head into there too and his heart started to hurt.

There she was, curled up with a hint of a smile on her face next to Remus. He wondered what had happened while he was gone. And he felt like a prat.

"Bastard," he mumbled as he closed the door and went to his own room, flopping on the bed and passing out with angry thoughts in his brain. As his fingers loosened the whiskey bottle slipped out of his hands and onto the floor.

**000000**

Hermione woke the next morning feeling amazing and very well rested. But when her eyes finally opened she realized she was not in her room. No, this room was definitely a man's. The one wall she was facing was lined with shelves and shelves of old books and the walls were painted a pretty forest green. The sheets around her were a dark chocolate color that matched the wood accents in the room, and there was a wingback chair by a fireplace. It was beautiful. She rolled over. So was the man besides her.

Her breath caught in her throat as she realized she had been snuggled up to Lupin the entire night. She remembered the night before and realized she must have just fallen asleep and he had taken her in here. She was too thrilled to be mad at him for his being presumptuous. Suddenly, he stirred and opened his eyes and when he saw her the look on his face was adorable.

"Good morning Hermione, I'm sorry if…" he started to apologize for just kidnapping her into his room, but she met with him with a kiss as a reply. His lips reacted instinctively and their kiss quickly grew from sweet to intense. His hands roamed down her body softly, wanting to explore but not wanting to move too fast, although his animalistic urges were hard to control at this point in the game, he tried his best. His fingers twined into her curly hair and he pulled her flush against his body so she could feel exactly what she did to him. Her cute little gasp at feeling his erection on her thigh made him smile as he kissed her harder. And then she began to get bold. Her hands traveled down the muscular chest she always hoped he was hiding and to the waistband of his briefs, teasing and tugging slightly. Lupin didn't hesitate but let her slip them off and he found her hand around him in a moment and it felt amazing. She stroked him with her soft hands, but he needed more and tugged down her sweats and her tiny little panties so that they could feel each other as they started to grind against each other.

Despite how amazing it felt, Lupin didn't do anything halfway. He wanted to make love to Hermione. He wanted to show her that there could be some love and caring outside of her failed relationship with Ron. He didn't love her…yet…but he felt strongly towards the witch in a matter of days. He needed to show her.

He picked her up gently and laid her down on her back, taking his hands and pulling off her tank top over her sweet pale skin. He unclasped her simple lace bra and nearly died at the beauty of the sight before him.

"You are gorgeous," he whispered and she blushed, but she needed to know. She bent up to kiss him and he met her with his own lips as he hovered over her, kissing her softly before slowly thrusting into her.

"Oh, Remus," the words escaped her and that drove him crazy. He had wanted to go slow with her, but he momentarily bucked inside of her, holding her close and she held onto his back so hard she scratched it. Which he absolutely loved.

He managed to slow down, letting there be a space between them so he could watch her. They didn't break eye contact as he moved with a steady rhythm inside of her and her low mewls turned to pants and moans.

It was the most beautiful thing he had ever witnessed to watch her come undone around him. And he lost it moments after, both of them gasping and enjoying the perfect release of pleasure. When their breathing had finally slowed, Remus slid out of her and planted small kisses around her breasts and up her neck, finally giving her a sweet peck on the lips before rolling off of her.

She snuggled next to him, her arm draping across his scarred chest, tracing a particularly long one down his abdomen.

"Hermione, that was…"

"I know," she smiled into his shoulder. It had been amazing, but the complete opposite of Sirius. Both were incredibly phenomenal lovers, but she was so happy to be laying in Remus' arms right then, basking in the glow of the moment.

"Rise and shine!" Sirius' voice boomed into the room as he threw the door open and Hermione quickly scrambled to cover up with the sheets. Even though Sirius' head was pounding and he couldn't find a hangover potion on the apartment to save his life, he was not going to miss out on a chance to make Remus' life miserable at the moment.

"Get the fuck out of my room," Lupin stared at Sirius murderously, he feigned innocence like he didn't just time his entrance exactly.

"That's no way to talk to your best mate!"

"OUT," Hermione groaned.

**A/N: Well…this is a mighty long chapter…so please, please review. It would be so nice to hear your thoughts on this chapter and Remus and Hermione. And Sirius. Or anything. They make my day!**


	7. An Unexpected Turn

**A/N: You guys make my day so bright by reading and your amazing reviews! Best ever! Enjoy.**

"I am preparing you right now Hermione, what is about to unfold is not going to be pleasant for either of us," Remus groaned as he extracted himself out of the messy bed. Hermione watched him walk over to his briefs on the floor and bend over to pick them up, slipping them on quickly. She more than enjoyed the view of his muscular back and the two pink scratches that were fresh—from her just a moment ago.

"Do we have to get up? Can't we just barricade ourselves in here all day?" she joked but the look he gave her told her everything she feared, that Sirius would simply not give up. She rolled out of the bed too, slipping on her tight sweatpants and tank from last night and trying her best to fix her messy sex hair in the mirror by the door.

They both walked hesitantly out to the living room and found Sirius sitting on a barstool with his head in his hands and leaning on the kitchen island.

"Can you make me some breakfast 'Mione," he groaned in near agony, his head hurt so badly.

"I will certainly not make you breakfast after you just barged in on us!" she said shrilly and the noise made him wince.

"Oh, come off it, I waited until you two were finished didn't I?" he looked up at her with his puppy dog eyes and she almost melted. _Almost._

"You were listening?" her voice was in disbelief at the flippant comment. He smirked.

"Of course I was, rather nice performance Moony, I'm proud of ya mate," he finished with a heart-stopping smile. Hermione felt like she was going to be sick.

"Sirius Black..you…_you perv_!" she said in shock, but she was rather overcompensating with emotion. The thought actually made her tingle that he had listened.

"Don't be such a prude Hermione, if you are going to go around calling people perverts, then start with Remus. He listened to _us_ the other night…"

Hermione whipped around on Remus who stood there with a slight blush to his face and gave her a slight shrug.

"You've got to be kidding me…" she said in disbelief.

"Although, kitten, I think if you think hard about it; you'll find that our little romp was more satisfying," Sirius turned the banter back to embarrassing her.

"Pads, I think she was quite satisfied this morning," Remus remarked and Hermione was so frustrated that she just yelled, "Enough you two why don't you just whip them out and be done with it!"

Sirius stood up and stepped out from behind the island, unzipping his fly.

"Dear Merlin, I didn't actually mean…" Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Love, if a woman tells me to 'just whip it out', I don't usually keep her waiting," he winked at her and she groaned in frustration. Remus started laughing and her face fell.

"Oh, I get it, this is just wonderful," she crossed her arms, "This is all just a big joke. Embarrass Hermione. Just sleep with her because she is so pathetic and heartbroken. Make a game out of it…we'll look, you guys won. I'll be taking my things and going," she finished, her face red and starting to become slightly blotched as she held back tears the best she could_. Of course she wouldn't be good enough for these two ridiculously gorgeous men, of course. _

_She hadn't even been good enough for Ron Weasley,_ she thought bitterly, but as she made to leave the room Remus caught her and kept her in his arms tight around her.

"That is not what this is like Hermione," he said very seriously as she tried not to lose all of herself control and start crying on him.

"Why in the world do you think I am sitting in this kitchen with a bloody hangover and not in my bedroom with some random bird?" Sirius asked, "Because last night I only thought of one girl…"

"We are both only thinking about one girl," Remus finished. Hermione sniffled, getting control of her emotions. She left Remus' comforting embrace and stood in between both men, looking back and forth between them. She still didn't understand.

"Brightest witch of our age, huh?" Sirius smirked. Sometimes she just wished she could throw something at him. But that was what she loved about him, he brought out playfulness in her, she loved fighting with him.

"We've rendered her at a loss for words for the first time in her life," Remus smiled. It was a sweet smile as she turned to look at him. He was strong and steady, and so sexy. Could it be that she was falling for two men, two best friends no less, at the same exact time?

Yes, it appeared so.

"Hermione this is new to us, too, believe me. Sirius and I never go for the same girl at the same time, but when a girl like you comes along and actually wants us, well…it's a game changer," Remus told her gently. There was so much sincerity to his words.

"We don't want to push you too much, but we have loved having you here for the short time you've stayed and we want to get to know you better. Both of us. We know it hasn't been easy with Weasley and everything, but we want you to be able to see what you like in a man," Sirius continued. Hermione was sure her jaw had to be on the floor by now.

"So will you let us try?" Remus asked hopefully for the both of them. He knew that it wasn't going to be easy. But she needed to grow, and she needed to realize that Ron Weasley wasn't the end-all be-all of sex or a relationship or a man. And although he was already jealous of Padfoot, he would rather her choose his best mate if she had to over some other bloke.

But he really hoped she would choose him, in the end, of course. Both of them hoped.

"Let you try…" she repeated, in shock. It must have looked a real sight, she thought, her standing there with sex hair and Remus shirtless and Sirius nearly doubled over with a hangover both trying to convince her that they wanted her equally.

She inconspicuously pinched her thigh to make sure it wasn't a dream.

They nodded.

"Okay, I'm just going to go back to bed and when I wake up both of you will be normal again, alright," she mumbled, walking out of the room. Remus started after her but Sirius called him back.

"Let her go Moony, she'll come around," he laughed when they both heard the door to her bedroom close.

Lupin walked over to Sirius and bent down towards a cupboard under the sink, pulling out a small little vial after a few moments of fumbling and handing it to Sirius who downed it thankfully and his headache was instantly gone.

"Good man," the animagus smiled at his friend, who was looking despairingly around the otherwise empty kitchen.

"I need to go shopping," he sighed.

"So do I, I can't have Hermione walking around my house in those god-awful sweatpants," Sirius said and Remus shot him an amused look.

"You don't like them?"

"Of course I like them but if she is going to wear sweatpants they are going to be fifteen galleon yoga pants that I pick out!" he sighed, annoyed. Remus chuckled.

"This is going to be one hell of a ride isn't it Padfoot?" Remus asked, turning to his friend, who shook his hand slightly sarcastically.

"If we don't kill each other in the meantime, yes it will be," Sirius grinned and went off to take a shower.

**00000**

Sirius walked slowly down Diagon Alley. The flirtatious looks he was getting from mothers hurrying in and out of shops buying their kids' things for Hogwarts were completely lost on him. He was here for one reason and one reason only – the precocious little swot that was the centerpiece of every single one of his fantasies.

He passed Gringotts and turned left, up towards the ritzy part of the street, he no longer wanted to be in the hustle and bustle of the school supply rush and he made a quick turn into a classy clothing store. He bought a lot of his things here, but today he ventured towards the women's section. He had an eye for what looked good on a woman, and he knew Hermione would look good in anything. If he had it his way, he would have her wearing nothing at all hours of the day.

He picked out a few smart dresses with short hemlines, a pencil skirt that he could imagine her wearing and looking positively stunning in, and a few low cut blouses. He meandered over to the lingerie. The witches who worked there were practically tittering over his visit, but they all knew better than to help him. He was surprised they hadn't called Rita Skeeter yet to catch him buying women's lingerie. But he didn't care if he ended up on the front page of a magazine; he wanted to get Hermione something special.

And something that he would gladly rip off of her. He found exactly what he imagined and made his way to the counter to pay, placing the clothes and the lingerie there and pulling out his money.

"Mr. Black, do you have a witch in your life?" the young blonde asked in a reverent whisper. He wondered absently if he had shagged her, or if it was the other young blonde that worked there.

"It's none of your business, my dear," he said charmingly, indicated that yes, he did have a beautiful witch and it wasn't her. She blushed and started to put the clothes in bags for him.

"Well, she's a lucky girl," the blonde said coolly, a hint of jealousy in her voice – and Sirius knew it must have indeed been her he had shagged.

"No, I think I'm a lucky man," he smirked, paying and taking the bags.

**00000**

Lupin had gone out to the store and picked up some food and some necessities, before returning to the penthouse and checking on Hermione. He found her asleep in her bed, curled up and dreaming. He knew better than to wake her, the girl had been through so much and he hoped a little of her exhaustion had something to do with their lovemaking earlier. Remus couldn't believe how fulfilled he had felt, and he knew he was already in too deep with this girl. It was only going to get worse. He decided that he needed to be a gentleman and ask for permission to pursue her. But he couldn't exactly go to her father, who was in Australia. After the war ended and Hermione brought them up to speed, they had decided that they rather liked Australia and stayed. So he had to choose the second best alternative—her best friend.

With a quick 'pop' he was outside Harry and Ginny Potter's house, knocking nervously. Ginny answered and gave her former professor a big hug, bringing him inside.

"Harry's at the ministry, is there something wrong?" Ginny asked and he sat down in their comfortable living room. He noticed how marriage suited the red-head; she was beaming from ear to ear.

"I hoped I could talk to him about something, it would just be a minute," Remus said quietly, now wondering if this idea was a good one.

"Let me pop him an owl," Ginny said enthusiastically. She scrawled out a note and sent the little brown pygmy owl perched on the open windowsill away, sitting down to join Lupin.

"It's nice to have company, with everything being so…domestic now," she grinned. Now her socialization was dinner parties held by her and Harry's married friends. They rarely ever had a random day-time visit anymore.

"Can I ask you something, while we wait?" Lupin bit his lip and Ginny nodded, "Do you know the girl who Ron…."

Ginny blanched, "Oh professor, please don't make me tell you…." She begged. He was instantly suspicious.

"Hermione said that you didn't know who it was…."

"Well, Harry and I just found out last night…we went out and saw them…together…" she was still pale as a ghost. Lupin had a terrible foreboding feeling in his stomach.

"I won't tell her. I just need to know," he pushed her and the little red-head cracked, looking up at him with big sorry eyes.

"Oh professor, I'm so sorry…it's Tonks…"

**A/N: You know what to do! That little box is all empty and waiting for your awesome review!**


	8. Transformations

**A/N: You guys are AMAZING! Please keep the reviews coming! I get so excited that you get so excited and that means updates come frequently, yes? A win/win, if I do say so myself…enjoy.**

"Tonks…and Ronald…wait…" Lupin's brow furrowed and he looked down at the floor as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. Ginny fidgeted when she saw him clench his fist in his lap. She could tell the wolf was definitely present in him at the moment.

"I am so sorry, but you deserve to know," Ginny reasoned and in the small part of reasonable mind that he had left he knew the red-head was right. But he could only see red. Tonks had told him that she had cheated on him and was leaving him…and that had apparently been with Ron.

"Hermione Can. Not. Know." Remus ground out through gritted teeth and it was her turn to look confused.

"But, why?"

_POP_, Harry was in the middle of the living room looking flustered, "Ginny, darling, why did Pidwidgeon nearly take off my finger? What's the matter? Hey, Remus," he said as almost an afterthought, staring at his petite wife. It was very clear that from the dark circles under Harry's eyes, things were not going all too well at the Ministry.

"Professor Lupin came by to have a chat with you and I ran my mouth…on accident…" she blushed and got up quickly, "I'll just leave you two alone," she scurried away quickly, honestly rather frightened and she knew Harry could control Lupin much better than she could. Harry took her place and stared at his former professor and friend in his dark eyes.

Remus didn't speak for a long while, but from the anger Harry could see manifesting itself behind the unmoving façade of the older man, he knew that Ginny had told him about Tonks and Ron.

"I had intended this conversation to be of a slightly happier topic," Remus chuckled darkly despite himself, "I came here to ask you a question, Harry, and for the love of Merlin if you do not agree I don't think this day could get any shittier."

"Anything, Remus," Harry met his eyes, trying to bestow confidence on the wavering man. Lupin found Harry's eyes to be of comfort in that moment. So much of Lily's warmth still came through them, and his face—now that he was a few years older—resembled James' so much that it was hard for the werewolf to sometimes even remember to call him Harry.

"I've…well, I've slept with Hermione and I wanted to…"

"DEAR MERLIN, you _TOO_?" Harry yelled, more in shock than anything. This made Ginny come out from wherever she had retreated to. She had clearly heard, as she was quickly shoving a pair of Extendable Ears into her pocket and her tell-tale blush was not fading from her cheeks.

"What do you mean_, 'me too'_", he asked.

"Hermione had a little chat with us that I certainly didn't ever think I would hear, and now you are sitting in front of me saying this and…" Harry placed his head in his hands before running them through his shaggy black hair that was in desperate need of a trim.

"Harry…"Ginny said with a warning to her voice, and Lupin looked positively downtrodden at Harry's response.

"I have to most honorable intentions with Hermione. And since I can't talk to her father, you are the next best thing. You are her best friend, her protector. If I could get you to be okay with this, it would make me feel so much better…"Remus started in quickly with his explanation but Harry looked as if he was still trying to wrap he head around the whole situation. He knew Hermione and Ron had had sex, but he didn't think in a million years that when he set her up to live with the two remaining Mauraders would she have sex with both of them in under a week's time.

He made a mental note to have a serious talk with his best friend about her behavior.

"Harry, please say something," Lupin was restless and it showed in the way he was wringing his hands together. This reminded Ginny and she quickly went to the kitchen, pulling out this month's wolfsbane potion from a locked cupboard and giving it to him. He downed it in one swallow. Harry and Ginny had been in charge of the potion for a few months but Ginny knew she would be more than happy to rid the chore to Hermione. She felt awful that she had almost forgotten. Lupin looked up at her gratefully nonetheless.

"I…I don't know what to say, honestly," he sighed, "I trust you. And I trust Hermione. I'm actually surprised I hadn't thought of you two being together before…but the both of you? Sirius, I mean…that is what I can't understand," Harry looked disgusted again.

"He's only human," Lupin mumbled under his breath, but it didn't go unnoticed by the Godson of the man in question.

"Alright, I just can't do this…" Harry said with a defeated look on his face, "Go on, do what you want- Remus you have my permission. I need to get back to work, good luck tonight," Harry said, but his tone was clipped as he marched over to the fire, threw in some floo powder from the bag hanging by the chimney and flooed back to the Ministry.

Ginny, on the other hand, looked much happier about the situation as she scrambled back in front of Lupin, "This…this I can talk about. Sex," she said with a devilish glint in her eye. Lupin's left eyebrow rose into his hair.

"No wonder Harry looks constantly exhausted," he laughed and Ginny grinned proudly.

"So you are okay with your best friend in the entire world sleeping with the same girl you are? Fascinating," the girl said in an awed whisper, like she was making a study out of him. Lupin blushed.

"Forgive me, Ginny, if I don't exactly feel comfortable discussing my sexual encounters with Harry's new bride," he tried his best to give her a sorry smile and he could tell the ginger was quite disappointed as he stood up to leave.

She stood up as well, and suddenly the mood wasn't as light anymore. Both of them were thinking about the information she had offered him earlier, and the angry glint in his eye as back.

"Don't dwell on the past, as much as it hurts," Ginny said quietly, as parting words.

"Very wise," he smiled gratefully.

"I get it from my mum."

"I s'pose you do," he gave her a final goodbye and apparated back to the penthouse.

**00000**

After a few hours, Hermione woke up from her much needed nap. She had just crashed out from exhaustion and yawned as she got out of her bed. She decided that a shower was much needed and she was thankful that her room had a bathroom attached. It was done up in a very girly way, one that she didn't exactly prefer, but as she slipped out of her clothes and under the stream of deliciously hot water, she didn't really care anymore.

She washed her hair slowly and then concentrated on her body, shaving her legs as carefully as she could. All the while, thoughts of Sirius and Remus were flying through her head and she was still dumbfounded that they both wanted her. Remus Lupin—gorgeous academic, werewolf, and Professor at Hogwarts wanted _her_. And Sirius Black-womanizing ladies' man extraordinaire was willing to put a hold on his debauchery, for _her_. It was just too much.

She turned off the shower and wrapped herself in a fluffy towel when she stepped out and went to pick out some clothes. She slipped on some skinny jeans and a soft grey v-neck shirt, drying her hair magically so it fell in loose, defined curls down her back. Satisfied for her appearance at the moment, she left her room in search of either one of her paramours. The place had seemed exceedingly quiet since she had woken up, but she was happy to see Sirius in the living room watching television.

When he saw her, that wicked smile of his crept up his face and she couldn't help but feel a surge of electricity run down her spine and pool _there_.

"Hello kitten, have a nice nap?" his voice was anything but innocent, which prompted her to ask the burning question that had been on her mind since she had woken up.

"What happened earlier, in the kitchen, that conversation…that wasn't a dream?"

He laughed, "No, not a dream. Our feelings haven't changed in a few hours' time either, so don't bother asking."

Remus suddenly came through the front door of the penthouse in a hurry and Sirius met his eyes with the concern of a brother.

"Cutting it close, Mooney," he said softly as Remus entered the living room. Hermione hadn't seen him look so fragile in so long.

"Where were you?" she asked, noticing the clock read 5, and tonight was the full moon. She realized she had slept for longer than she had intended.

"I went shopping and saw the Potter's and took a walk," he said simply. It was very clear there was more to the story but neither of them pressed the issue. Remus walked over to her and gave her a kiss on the forehead, "See you tomorrow."

Sirius got up from his comfortable position on the couch and walked with Remus down the hall to the small staircase by Hermione's bedroom. It led to a loft of sorts, with a few rooms. One of which was the one that Remus used during his transformations. Sirius unlocked the door and both men went inside. It was a large space, with some pillows and a large comforter in the corner where Mooney slept when he could during the night. Other than that it was very bare, but the walls were reinforced.

"Use the time with her well, Pads, because I might not be so generous when I am myself again," Remus gave his friend a weak smile.

"Oh, I assure you I will. Good luck, mate," Sirius replied and left Lupin standing in the room. Sirius closed and locked the door, warding it and casting strength spells over it. He also placed a silencing charm that he knew well enough would only help with the noise, not block it out completely. He hated when his best friend had to go through the painful transformation. Some full moons, Sirius would transform to his animagus alter-ego and keep him company, but the werewolf had made it clear that tonight he wanted to do it alone, because he wanted Sirius to be with Hermione in case anything should happen.

The man was too selfless in that way, in some ways…_well in most ways_, Sirius knew Remus was a much better man. The thought made him smile sadly as he walked back out to find Hermione sitting nervously on the couch. He gave her a look to signal that yes, Remus was quite alright and she need not worry.

"Go on and get changed, we are going to dinner," Sirius said, trying to snap out of his mood so he could put his plan into action.

"But Remus just bought a kitchen full of food, I'll make something," she argued. _God was she irritating sometimes_, he grinned.

"I don't want you cooking, and I am a terrible cook, so please Hermione, go change," he said as nicely as he could. He wasn't used to being questioned by a woman, but he liked the change.

"What is wrong with what I am wearing?" she asked, seriously upset as she looked down at her sweet but simple jeans and tee-shirt ensemble. Black sighed. He walked to the hallway closet and pulled out one of the shopping bags from his trip earlier, walking over and handing it to her.

"We are going somewhere that requires something a little nicer than jeans, love," he told her as she quickly rifled through the bag and pulled out two ridiculously expensive dresses. She fingered the price tags in disdain. Sirius knew he should have had the foresight to cut them off.

"Sirius…I can't…"

"Yes, you can. Please," he all but begged her, "Just put on a bloody dress…"

She stared up at him, still looking pouty and angry at the gift. She wasn't used to being on the receiving end of expensive things.

"If you do not go put on one of those dresses this instant so help me I will do it for you," he nearly growled and she went on her way, rolling her eyes when she was out of his sight. When she was safely in her room and alone, she examined both of the dresses and laid them out on her bed.

One was a dark blue number, strapless and formfitting that would hit in the middle of her thigh. It was of a gorgeous silky material. The other was a red dress with thick straps but a plunging neckline and an equally plunging back.

Sirius hadn't said which one to put on, but she knew both of these dresses were meant for different occasions. She knew in her heart the blue one should be worn for Remus, it was dark like the night sky, and calm like the way he made her feel. But it was still undeniably sexy.

The red one, on the other hand, screamed pure fire and lust. This was the dress she knew she had to wear tonight.

She slipped out of her clothes and into sexier underwear than her white cotton briefs before slipping on the dress and a pair of black pumps. She put on a little bit of red lipstick and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like a full blown sex kitten.

The dress hugged her curves just right, and wasn't too immodest. The low back showed her creamy skin and the sweet freckle on her right shoulder. And the low front wasn't slutty either, but it showed off her cleavage nicely. It was like the dress was made for her, for this night.

She wondered just what was in store for her as she stepped out of her room and found Sirius waiting for her in the foyer, having changed himself. He looked devastatingly gorgeous.

He was wearing black, tapered, and fitted dress pants, a black blazer that was cut perfectly to his fit body, and a white dress shirt that was un-tucked and unbuttoned just enough to show the top of the tattoos on his chest.

"My God Granger you look downright delicious…forget dinner.." he smirked at her, looking her up and down in a way that made her feel wanted. He was secretly exceedingly pleased that she was wearing the dress he hoped she would.

It was undeniable that there was an insanely powerful attraction that had manifested itself even after her disappointment with him after their romp the other night. The way his eyes flashed nearly promised her that he was going to make it up to her.

"Keep it in your pants, Black," she smirked right back and walked ahead of him out the door and into the elevator.

She seriously hoped he would.

**A/N: Leave me love please! Sorry for a sort of cliffie..but I promise that the next chapter is in the works and is going to be quite fun If you are on the Hermione/Sirius bandwagon that is.**


	9. Bedroom Behavior

**A/N: Hello new followers! Love you guys! And please be warned this chapter has some serious SB/HG smut in it. You have been warned But if you are reading this, it was probably what you wanted, right?**

Because Hermione hadn't been to the restaurant Sirius wanted to take her to, they couldn't apparate. He led her to the garage of the apartment building and when she saw his flying motorbike parked right in the front, she nearly fainted.

"Sirius…first of all, _no_, and second of all…you can't keep this…this _thing _here!" she said with a tone that was dangerously close to Mrs. Weasley's voice when she was upset. Sirius just laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Well, we can't apparate there and don't worry, it's charmed to look like a muggle motorbike. And it has a ton of wards on it. I thought a little ride would be romantic," Sirius smiled and walked over to his bike, straddling it. Hermione couldn't see the romance—but what she could see was Sirius' thinly veiled attempt at foreplay. She couldn't deny that holding onto him while he drove her around on that hunk of black and chrome in his perfectly tailored suit would turn her on. But she hesitated.

He looked back at her and gave her a wink, and she lost it; stomping forward to the bike and swinging her leg over it and scooting up close to Sirius' back. She noticed this little action made her already short dress ride up a bit inappropriately and she blushed; glad he couldn't see it.

"Ready Granger?" he asked as he started the bike. It shuddered underneath her. She gripped him tighter. She had never been a fan of fast things she couldn't exactly control. Except for maybe Sirius himself.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she told him over the deafening roar of the engine. They pulled out of the garage and Sirius didn't even give her time to acclimate before speeding off onto the street. She was glad they weren't flying, but she was sort of wishing they were as Sirius sped around cars and buses like a man with a death wish.

However, being pretty scared and holding onto him as an adventure all in itself that heightened her senses and arousal by the time they pulled up to their destination. She was a little shaken, but he helped her off the bike and she straightened her dress and smoothed her hair as he warded his bike and took her arm to lead her around the corner to the restaurant.

It was a wizard establishment, charmed to look like a closed restaurant to muggles, but was really one of the most premiere spots in London.

"_Levitatum_? Sirius….how did you? There's a wait list three months long!" Hermione blushed as they walked into the ritzy place and the man on her arm as all smiles.

"I pulled a few strings," he winked at her again, and she went weak in the knees. She knew she was acting so childish and immature, but around him, all she was was a ball of hormones.

The pretty waitress sat them down in a private leather booth at the back of the restaurant. The place was large, but felt small and intimate; with dimmed lights and a sexy ambience that Hermione knew wouldn't help their situation. She looked around and suddenly felt out of place, feeling self-conscious about her dress and her hair and her make up. Sirius saw the look in her eye and placed his hand over hers.

"Stop, you deserve to be here. You deserve to be spoiled," Sirius told her in a voice that told her that he was not messing around. And it was sexy.

She calmed after that, and they both looked over the menu. Well, Hermione did. Sirius couldn't keep his eyes off of her. He ordered them some expensive Goblin made wine and at last they ordered their food.

"How did I get so lucky?" Sirius mused under his breath after a sip of his wine. He was sitting back in the booth, resting into it, but his finger was drawing lazy circles on Hermione's exposed thigh.

"Well you see…it all started when I became homeless…" Hermione smirked.

"I don't know why that bastard gave you up," he sighed and instantly regretted the remark as he saw Hermione's eyes go stony and her flirtatious smile retreat to an unreadable face. He reached for her hand and held it, "'Mione, I'm sorry, I'm an ass for mentioning him."

He looked so perfectly apologetic that Hermione had a hard time keeping the smile off of her face.

"You aren't being an ass, quite the opposite actually. There are a few girls in here that I thought would catch your eye and yet you haven't even looked at them once," Hermione said, demurely sipping from her glass as she regarded him.

"When I'm with you, it's like there is no one else in the room."

"Oh, come on Sirius…do you expect me to fall for that cheesy line?" she giggled and he looked momentarily hurt underneath all the bravado.

"I'm being honest; you are the most beautiful girl in this room. When are you going to start believing it?" he asked. From the years he had known her, and from the short time they had lived together and he had gotten to know her more intimately—he saw that underneath her brains, Hermione wasn't convinced she was also a true beauty.

Luckily, their waitress came with their food. She gave Sirius a longing look as she set down his plate but his eyes were focused on Hermione. His stare did the most amazing things to her body, and she dug into her meal before she went crazy from the hot look in his eye.

They flirted like this for the rest of the meal. They moved closer to each other with a little help from his charm and the wine, until Hermione was the one whose hand was inching up his thigh. Sirius couldn't believe how perfect the evening had gone so far. He usually did not take witches out on dates. Most girls only saw the inside of his bedroom. But Hermione was different and as much as he fiercely defended his intent on being a bachelor forever, she was slowly making him consider an alternative. But when dessert was set down in front of the pair, Sirius saw a pair that he didn't expect to ever see there.

Ron Weasley and his cousin Dora were standing at the reservation desk. Tonk's hair was a chocolate color and long, down her back. She was wearing a black dress and it looked like she had glamoured her face a bit. But it was definitely her, and Ron was blushing and looked completely besotted.

Three thoughts ran through Sirius' brain simultaneously.

Hermione cannot see them.

How the hell is Weasley going to pay for this dinner?

I want to punch him in the face.

But after the rage had passed over his face, he checked to make sure Hermione hadn't seen them. From the coy little smile on her face as she snuggled up to his shoulder and dipped her fork into the chocolate mousse, she hadn't.

He looked back up to see the conniving couples' whereabouts and realized that even though his date hadn't witnessed them yet, they certainly had. They were seated at a table nearly directly across from them in the restaurant and Ron was looking at Sirius with a mix of devastation, confusion, and guilt. Tonks was shooting him scathing looks. And Sirius didn't feel bad for either of them. In fact, he knew that even his foul vocabulary didn't have enough words to adequately express how he felt about the pair of them.

So he just tipped Hermione's chin up towards him and met her perfect, soft lips with a sweet but longing kiss.

"Kitten, as delicious as this dessert is, I think I'm rather craving something else," he whispered into her ear. When she didn't object, he placed more than enough galleons on the table to cover the bill and then helped Hermione out of the booth, careful to distract her enough so that she didn't turn and see Ron.

As inconspicuously as he could manage, he placed his arm around her and led her out of the restaurant, giving Ron and Tonks a very rude hand gesture behind her back before they walked out into the crisp night air.

Hermione slightly sobered from the cold and Sirius took off his jacket and placed it over her shoulders as they walked back to his motorbike. He caught her staring up at the moon and squeezed her hand.

"He's fine, trust me," he comforted her before helping her onto the bike and speeding off with her back home.

By the time they had reached the building, their flirtation and chemistry had spiked back up to a scorching level. They walked into the apartment laughing. They listened for Mooney for a moment, but only heard a far off whimper. He was in pain, but was okay.

"Go into my room and put on what I've laid out for you under your dress. I have to teach you a small lesson for making me so distracted to the point that I could barely eat tonight," Sirius told her, and his voice was deep with a hint of dominance and commanding. It sent a shiver through Hermione that she was very partial too.

Walking to his bedroom as fast as she could without looking too eager, she turned on the light and her eyes found the surprise he was talking about. She slipped off her dress and her bra and panties and walked over to the bed.

It was a bustier, a leather one. And it was intimidating and gorgeous at the same time. Sirius had also laid out for her a simple pair of lacy black boy shorts. She slipped into those without a problem, and then put on the little leather number.

When she was finished, she stood and looked in the mirror. Her breasts were pushed up and full in the bustier, and she realized it didn't look as trampy as she thought it would since it was so well made and wasn't too tight.

_Kinky bastard_, she smirked.

She slipped her dress back on and her heels, setting her other underwear and his jacket aside before climbing onto the bed and flicking her wand to dim the room before placing it on his bedside table.

He was in the room not long after, looking the picture of perfection as his eyes roamed her body up and down in the clingy red dress he had bought for her. He crawled onto the bed slowly and hovered in front of her, waiting so long to kiss her that Hermione nearly whimpered in longing.

But just before she reached her breaking point, his mouth was crushing against hers and his hands were tangled up in her hair as he laid her down on the bed. She arched her back and pressed up into him as they kissed and only kissed for minutes on end. He loved the way her lips felt pressed against his, but he knew he couldn't hold on much longer.

Sirius sat up, leaving her breathless and flushed against his pillows.

"Stand up."

It wasn't a request. It was a command, and Hermione was immediately to her shaky feet on the floor next to the bed, facing away from him. She felt his presence behind her and her ankles almost gave way as he started kissing up her neck.

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" he asked her between soft kisses up to her hairline and then her ear. She shook her head ever so slightly.

"Well, tonight I am going to show you exactly how sexy you are," he said with a promise, his fingers slowly inching down the straps of her dress and unzipping the back with the other hand until it was a red puddle on the floor around her and she stepped out of it, kicking the pretty dress to the side.

He inhaled sharply in pleasure at the sight of her, and Hermione couldn't help but smile, knowing that she made Sirius Black…renowned ladies' man, gasp.

She looked like a goddess, her curly hair falling down her back, the line of her creamy skin where it met the leather of her bodice, her perky ass in the see through lace, and the long legs ending in fuck-me pumps that he had only ever pictured her wearing in his wildest dreams.

He gave her a hard slap on the ass before grabbing it hard in his hand and whispering in her ear, "Tonight, you are mine, and only mine."

She moaned at the possessive growl in his voice at the same time she felt him press into her backside, showing her exactly what she was doing to him. He turned her around and pressed against her, Hermione grinding her hips to him as he kissed her passionately, pulling her onto the bed and cupping her breasts in the leather.

She looked so wanton and sexy on top of him, and he slid a finger down to her sex and felt exactly how wet she was. She started to undo the remaining buttons on his shirt. She looked just as hungry for it as he was, but he pushed her hands away.

"Did I tell you that you could touch?" he asked and a flirtatious smile played on her lips as he quickly pinned her down underneath him, casting a quick, silent spell to keep her hands above her head and immobile. She wriggled underneath him, her eyes burning with a desire he had never witnessed, but was desperate to unleash.

He slipped her panties off first, teasing her before kissing his way up her thighs until she was nearly shaking. He plated a kiss right on her clit and she bucked up into him, moaning his name. He pulled away.

"Be a good little witch and don't tease me like that or you won't get anymore," he winked at her and she looked furious.

"Sirius Black, stop fucking around and get inside of me or I will hex you…"

He put a finger to her lips, the one that had been playing with her and she could taste herself on him, as she relinquished her power to him, momentarily embarrassed by her un-lady-like outburst that Sirius on the other hand found so so sexy.

He did the honors of taking off his dress shirt, and then his trousers, in a slow torturous way that had Hermione wishing she could just pleasure herself to the sight of him. But soon enough his naked body was pressed against hers and she kissed him hard as he finally succumbed and thrust into her.

Hermione's eyes rolled back as he slammed into her over and over again, his head buried in the hollow of her neck, sucking and biting her there, him giving her ass a swat every so often. It was fast and chaotic but so delicious.

"Oh fuck me, Sirius, harder," Hermione begged, not quite recognizing the woman who was begging for it, but not really caring.

"Be careful what you wish for love," he smirked and slammed into her, building up her orgasm until she finally clenched around him, bucking her hips to meet his every thrust, and then she came undone.

Moaning his name and wishing she could run her nails down his back, Hermione came twice, riding out the most amazing orgasm and was vaguely aware that in the midst of the heaven she was experiencing, Sirius had come too.

**A/N: Aaannnd…this is where I stop. Go easy on me guys, I don't claim to be epic at writing sex scenes. But please leave me lots of love. I have to do something I don't really want to do tonight, so PM's and reviews and anything will help me! LOVE YOU**


	10. Two Halves of One Heart

**A/N: I want to thank my loyal reviewers. You have no idea how much your reviews helped me out last night! And I want to dedicate this chapter to any of my readers who feel lonely. I am one of you, and one day we will all find someone who makes us ridiculously happy okay? **

The first thing that woke Sirius Black up the next morning was the faint smell of soap and strawberries. Followed by a very loud knock on the door. He groaned and opened his eyes and saw that his head was buried in Hermione's hair, his arms protectively around her as she slept soundly in his arms.

He had slept with her, and_ slept_ with her. And he had cuddled. _Well this is a first_, he thought.

The knocking continued, and he looked at the clock to find it was already ten thirty. Remus was probably knocked out cold of exhaustion from the night before, and there was no way he expected his best mate to get the door. But he wanted to stay next to Hermione, and yet, the door would not stop being pounded.

He grumbled and as quietly as he could, he extracted himself from around the beautiful sleeping form of Hermione. He pulled on some pajama pants and ran a hand through his hair. The only reason he had willed himself to get up was because most people didn't know the lift combination to the penthouse. And the people that did were important-so this had to be an emergency.

_It better bloody well be a damn emergency_, Black cursed as he opened the door and a steaming, cursing Weasley flew into the apartment.

"YOU!" Ron pointed his wand at Sirius, who didn't seem concerned at all. The older man merely leaned up against the hallway wall and stared at Ron.

"How did you get her, and what are you doing here?" Sirius asked, almost in a bored tone. Inside, he was furious that the little fuck even dared to come there and interrupt his morning with the most perfect witch in the world.

"You forget that my _new girlfriend_ has the code key, seeing as she used to date your best mate," Ron said.

"I don't understand why that is relevant, Weasley. My whore of a cousin broke my best friends' heart to fuck you. For reasons I am still trying to wrap my head around. I used to have the utmost respect for you, but after what you did to Hermione, I don't want you anywhere near this apartment ever again, do I make myself clear?" Sirius said the last few words with a violent staccato to his voice. He could see a hint of fear in Ron's eyes as the madman from Azkaban briefly came into the light.

"I felt awful about what I did to Hermione…but then I saw you two last night…and I couldn't believe she had stooped so low as to fuck an old man like yourself," Ron narrowed his eyes.

"Two old men, actually," Sirius smirked. Ron was rendered speechless.

"You and…and…" he stammered.

"Remus, yeah. She's dating both of us," Sirius stated rather matter-of-factly. Ron turned red again, his wand still pointing straight at Sirius' heart.

"Well isn't that just rich…" Ron sneered.

"What's going on?" Hermione's voice was quiet and both of them turned to look at her as she approached them rather tentatively, wide-eyed with a black robe wrapped around her with just a hint of what she was wearing last night peeking out. She had her wand with her.

"Since when did you turn into such a tart Hermione?" Ron wheeled on her.

"_Stupefy_!" she stunned him and he flew back, hitting the closed front door and falling down to the ground. It took him a few moments to get up, but her wand was still trained on him when he did.

"And when did you turn into such an arse?" she asked. Sirius watched her face gallantly try and hide the heartbreak, "I was in love with you. So in love with you—Ron I thought you were _the one_. What did I do wrong? Why wasn't I good enough for you anymore? Who is she? _TELL me who she is_!"

Ron stared at her, the color leaving his cheeks as he saw a single tear drop down her cheek.

"'Mione, I'm sorry. You are just too much for me. You are too good, too brilliant, too everything. I can't be that guy for you," Ron nearly whispered. His whole demeanor had changed with the shift of attitude in the room.

"Do I know her?" Hermione continued.

"Please, love, go back to bed," Sirius spoke up finally, and both her and Ron shot him scathing looks.

"Ron I think I deserve to know who you left me for," she looked at the red-head with pleading eyes. Sirius moved closer to her, knowing that what was to come would not end well.

Ron set his mouth in a hard line, "It's Tonks. 'Mione, I left you for Tonks."

Hermione screamed, sending a hex flying at Ron, but he dodged it and Sirius' arms were around Hermione in an instant, pulling her back and keeping her from attacking Ron any further. He took her wand out of hand.

"Get out of my house, or I swear I will kill you Weasley, I don't give a shit if I have to go back to Azkaban. Don't you ever, _ever_ come here again or talk to Hermione. Don't ever let me see you. You don't even deserve to be standing here looking at her," Sirius growled at Ron who cursed him under his breath, gave Hermione one last look that was a mixture of sadness and hate, and left. Hermione immediately collapsed crying into Sirius' arms and he picked her up and carried her back to his room.

When he laid her down on the bed he wiped the tears from her cheeks with the pad of his thumb and curled up next to her.

"Did you know?" he voice was so soft it was almost a whisper.

"They were there last night at dinner," he explained and her eyes turned cold when she looked at him, "I didn't tell you because we were having such a wonderful time. I didn't want that git to ruin your happiness."

"That_ git_ was my happiness for six years, Sirius," she rolled away from him, pushing his arms away, "Does Remus know?"

"I don't know," Sirius answered truthfully. He didn't know if he should tell his friend. He didn't know if he could stand to live with two people he cared for so deeply and see them so hurt at the same time.

Sirius tried once again to place his arms around her and hold her, but she pushed him away again and he stopped fighting it. They both heard the loud thud coming from down the hall. Remus was awake. Sirius kissed Hermione on the forehead and got up to see his friend, hearing her submit to soft sobs as he stepped out of the room.

Black unwarded the door and opened it to find that Remus had just sat up on his make- shift little bed in the corner. He only had one cut this time, across his right cheek, and he looked weak and pale like he always did. Sirius hated seeing him like this, but Remus' small smile made him feel a bit better.

Padfoot was by his friend in an instant, healing the cut as far as a werewolf scratch could be healed by magic, and conjuring some water and chocolate for him. Remus took it thankfully and ate so that some color returned to his face.

"How was it?"

"Average. Not the best, not the worst," Remus sighed and Sirius' heart was doing an inner battle as to if he should relay the news or not. But deciding that since Hermione was crying her eyes out in his bed over it, there would inevitably be questions.

"Mooney, there's something I have to tell you about Tonks," he started, sighing heavily and Remus returned his friends' look with a small, sad smile.

"I already know. When I visited the Potters, Ginny told me. How do you know?" Remus asked.

"I saw them out to dinner last night. And I nearly killed the little prick then. But I didn't want Hermione to notice and then the bastard had the nerve to come pounding on our door this morning trying to seek vengeance. And of course Hermione is devastated," Sirius explained. Both of their hearts re-broke for her.

"I'll kill him," Remus whispered.

"Sorry, I already called dibs, mate," Sirius patted his friend on the back gently; "Shall I have Hermione come in and look after you?"

"Don't trouble her, Pads," Remus sighed, laying back down on the thick blankets and pillows by the wall. Sirius flicked his wand and made the hidden fireplace in the room appear with a crackling fire and he conjured up some tea and some more blankets.

"I think she will want to be troubled. She's clearly had enough of me, and I think she needs someone with a little bit more finesse at emotions to comfort her. You guys can hole up in here the whole day and feel sorry for yourselves," Sirius winked jokingly and left the room to get Hermione. He was glad that she was no longer crying when he walked back into the room.

"Remus would love to see you," he offered gently and she picked her head up off the pillow and regarded him with an apologetic look as she got up off of the bed, gave Sirius a hug and then walked back to her own room. She changed out of the leather ensemble that by now had grown rather uncomfortable on her, sticking it in her drawer for another time, and put on some jeans and a white v neck. Throwing her curly hair up into a ponytail, she entered the room that Remus had spent the night in.

He smiled warmly when he saw her, but was too weak to get up and throw his arms around her like he wanted to. He knew that he hadn't had as bad of a transformation because the last thing he thought about before the change was her. He had something to look forward to when it was all over.

She sat down on the blankets with him, pushing his sandy hair out of his face and tracing his new scar gently with her fingertip. She kissed his temple and down to his lips, placing soft, chaste kisses on them as he held her. They didn't even have to speak, he knew and she knew, and they held each other, wrapped in the blankets by the fire.

"I missed you last night," she said, holding tightly to him. He had a way of making her feel so safe, even though she knew that he was the one that needed to be taken care of.

"So did I, did you and Sirius have a nice time?" his voice was tinged with jealousy at this question and her blush gave him all the answers. He held her more protectively and she told him she was sorry about Tonks. And he told her he was sorry about Ron. His strength came back to him faster than before and in a few hours they were able to drink the still hot by magic tea and sit up closer to the fire. Hermione rubbed his muscles gently to try and ease the pain after the transformation. She worked her soft hands into his shoulders, down his arms, and even his calves. He enjoyed it immensely, it was so intimate an act, and they didn't have to speak. They just looked at each other in moments like that and knew there was something that was growing very strong between them.

It was in this moment that Hermione realized that this morning had changed so much. She had gotten some sort of closure with Ron, even though it hurt. She had woken that morning feeling empty that Sirius was gone from the bed and when she realized he was defending her and protecting her from Ron, she fell irrevocably for him. And sitting here with Remus and taking care of him as he also nursed her soul back to health—she had fallen for him too.

With a sigh she knew that both men each held half of her heart. She had fallen in love with both of them in different ways and for different things. It was strange, but she knew it to be absolutely true.

A/N: Keep the reviews coming! Thanks bunches for reading!


	11. Back to Hogwarts

**A/N: Some reviewers questioned if this story came to an end the last chapter and it DID NOT. This story is actually turning out to be a lot longer than I thought it would. Hope that is okay with all of you! Also…if you have a specific requests for the sexy scenes, leave them in a pm or review and for the next few chapters I will be doing my best to fulfill them before we come down to the threesome fun. And then there's the whole relationship stuff to be sorted out…and yeah.**

**Let's get on with it shall we?**

The three of them fell into an easy rhythm for the remaining days before Lupin and Hermione would travel to Hogwarts. Hermione took turns sleeping with them—but only actually sleeping, because even though she had promised she was fine about Ron, Sirius had wanted to be a gentleman and not try and jump her bones after that emotional morning. And Remus was still a bit too weak for physical activity of any sorts. They both enjoyed cuddling with her, and they each hated the nights their beds lacked her presence.

The morning came for them to leave, and Sirius felt it had come much too soon. Breakfast was quiet. Both of their trunks sat by the door. Black looked like a dejected puppy.

"We'll be back on weekends, Pads," Remus tried to cheer him up, but it didn't look like anything was going to change his sour mood. He had requested to be put back to work by the Order because he had no idea what he was going to do all day without his best friend and his girlfriend around and he certainly did not want to sit in his bedroom all week long and think of ravishing Hermione, because he knew that would be absolutely frustrating.

"But it's not fair. You get her all week long" Sirius jabbed at his eggs as Hermione watched the best friends in their little fight, silently smirking to herself. It had been a weird dynamic at first, living with two boyfriends and trying to give them equal time. But they were all adults, and Remus was fairly okay with it. It was Sirius that had been prone to throwing these tantrums; especially now that they were actually leaving.

"Oh yes, because we are just going to go around Hogwarts fucking like rabbits," Remus rolled his eyes.

"If I were you, I would."

"That's hardly appropriate behavior for two Professors, Sirius," Hermione tried her best to scold him but she just couldn't. He was too damn cute when he pouted like that.

"Well, weekend's she's all mine" Sirius stated matter-of-factly to Remus like she suddenly wasn't part of the situation anymore. This is when their tricky relationship started to annoy her.

"I can very well make my own decisions of which one of you I want to spend my time with on any given day," Hermione huffed, standing up from the table and taking her plate to the sink.

"She's cute when she's mad," Remus grinned.

"I know, so bloody adorable," Sirius practically purred. The way they were both talking about her like this, however, gave her a wonderful feeling in her stomach.

"I'm going to get my cloak and then we are leaving," she smiled back to both of them and Remus started cleaning up. He grabbed his cloak as well and put his wand in his pocket and waited by the door as Sirius pulled Hermione close to him when she came back from her room.

"Miss me?" he asked into her ear. She smiled.

"Of course I will, I'll write," she kissed him.

"Writing the sordid details of what I want to do to you when I get back is not going to cut it for me, dear," he pulled her even more possessively close. He loved the way he could make her blush.

"It's only a week," she sighed, "You big baby."

"Don't get too crazy with Mooney, alright?" Sirius kissed her forehead. Remus cleared his throat, not wanting to interrupt but they were going to miss the train.

"Don't get yourself killed," Hermione kissed him one last time. She didn't exactly like what Sirius was going to be doing in his spare time but she didn't want to nor could she ever stop him. He watched the pair walk out the door and he went into the library. It was a room Hermione had recently discovered and he was more than surprised it hadn't been first on her list of things to look for. The last few nights he had found her in there curled up in his chair reading. He sat in that chair after pouring himself a drink and spent the remainder of the day there.

**00000**

The train ride was rather uneventful except for the fact that Hermione and Remus had to adjust to being out in public together and in a setting where they couldn't flaunt their relationship. But once they got to the school and moved their trunks to their respective rooms, they met up again at the Great Hall. Hermione was thrilled as she talked to Headmistress McGonagall and took her seat at the head table with the professors that she grew up learning from. Lupin sat to her left side, finding it very adorable that she was so excited to achieve what she had wanted for so long. He watched her beam and blush a little when McGonagall introduced her and the houses—even the Slytherins gave her a round of applause and reverent stares. No matter that it had been 6 years, she was a legend. She had helped to save the school, and the wizarding world. Most of them couldn't wait for her class to start the next morning.

"Stay with me tonight," Lupin said softly as dinner was winding to a close. She tried to contain the blush that crept up her cheekbones.

"Remus, we can't do that _here_…"

"Hermione we are two consenting adults. And it's not like McGonagall doesn't know…" he rolled his eyes at her to intentionally goad her. Hermione chanced a glance down the table at the wise Headmistress who was in a conversation with Professor Sprout.

"She knows?"

"What do you think I was talking about with her in the hallway earlier when you came down from your rooms? The weather?" he grinned, "We still can't cavort around here like I would like to, but there is no way I can keep my hands off you all week, especially when Sirius gets to have you to himself every weekend."

Hermione squirmed slightly in her seat. There was a part of her that had fantasized about her and Remus having sex in an academic setting when she had gotten older. But those were fleeting fantasies. The thought of the real thing made her stomach fill with butterflies. His health was back, and she couldn't deny he looked extremely attractive when he was back in his favorite and most comfortable setting. They were one of the first of the staff to leave the head table when the head boys and girls started leading their houses up to the dormitories. My a wonderful design of fate that Hermione now appreciated, the Dark Arts and Ancient Runes' classrooms and adjoining apartments were on the same floor as each other, albeit a little bit of a walk away. But since none of the dormitories were on the second floor, once they turned down the classroom hallway they were almost totally alone. Remus unlocked his classroom and they slipped inside giggling like too overly horny 6th years.

"Oh this is so wrong," Hermione said, but with a smile on her face as she slipped off her robes and hung them over the back of one of the student desks, "I never thought in a million years I would ever defile a classroom."

"Don't tell me you haven't thought about it," he winked at her, his robes already off he started to unbutton his dress shirt, "Come here."

She walked nervously up to the front of the classroom where he was, feeling slightly intimidated because he had that sexy academic look in his eye that she found so erotic when he used it. He pulled her towards his desk and pressed her up against it—kissing her hard.

They fell into their rhythm instantly. Remus was the sweeter lover of the two, and he always took the time to kiss her everywhere, to whisper sweet things in her ear, and to hold her close before they made love. Being with him was truly a sensory experience. His strong, scarred hands took off her blouse and gently cupped her breasts before squeezing them just a little bit harder. She snaked her hand down to feel his erection in his trousers and then pulled her hand away as she saw his eyes softly roll back in pleasure.

"Don't you dare tease me little witch."

"Remus, what ever are you talking about?" she laughed, kissing up his neck.

"I have no qualms about bending you over this desk Miss Granger," he growled seductively.

"_Professor_ Granger," she smirked.

"Don't ruin my school girl fantasy that always involved you—now turn around and bend over," he told her. She loved when he let his dominate, animalistic side out, even if it was for just a brief moment. She gladly complied with his wish, knowing all too well that she had dreamed of the same exact thing before. She spread her legs and bent over his desk in the sexiest way she could muster for a girl just experiencing this type of sex. With Ron it was always standard vanilla, which wasn't bad, but it hadn't given her much experience to go off of.

She heard the metal of his belt buckle hit the floor when he took it off and unzipped his trousers, pressing his thinly clad erection against her back as he bent her over further and lifted up the dress she was wearing.

"You are a goddess," he said sweetly. It made her smile out at the empty classroom as she felt his hands explore her and then dip down to her wetness that gave away just how aroused she was.

"I thought you were punishing me, Professor," she said softly and the last word spoke straight to his cock. He freed himself, pushed her pink panties to the side and slid into her without warning. She gripped the desk as the now familiar but always wonderful feeling of being so full from him overtook her. His hands ran down her flawless back slowly and sensually as he rocked in and out of her excruciatingly slow. She was already aching for release, but Remus wanted to treasure every glorious moment of it.

"Right, right, of course," he ground out as he twined his fingers in her hair and started to thrust into her harder, loving the visual of her body over his desk, her full breasts pressed to the wood, loving the sound of her sweet moans and his name falling from her lips. He paused inside of her, just enjoying the tightness and the perfection that was her. He didn't want to finish without looking at her beautiful face, so he slid out of her gently and helped her turn around.

"I want to see you, beautiful girl," he told her, stroking her flushed face.

"And I want to see you too, Professor," she grinned coquettishly, sinking to her knees on the classroom floor behind his desk, wrapping her hand around his cock and guiding it into her mouth. Remus almost lost it right then and there as he looked down at her sucking him, her big eyes looking up at his in the cutest and sexiest way at the same time. They were almost searching for approval and teasing him with the same look as he legs felt weak. A girl had never ever affected him like this before. And he couldn't believe that the smartest, most gorgeous witch was doing this right now. He could just imagine the shit-eating grin on Sirius' face being permanently wiped off if he knew. Because if she had done it for Sirius first, Remus knew he would have known. The man had no filter.

He watched her sweet pinks lips wrapped around him and she sucked harder, turned on by the hungry look in his eye. He growled in pleasure but stopped himself before he let go in her mouth, pulling her up to her full height again and lifting her up into his arms hurriedly, Hermione slipped down onto him and marveling at his strength as he held her and made love to her and kissed her in his arms, making her feel so sexy and protected at the same time. She came first, just like he wanted and he watched her beautiful face fill with pleasure as she clutched to him.

"Oh Remus, oh Merlin, _oh, oh Professor_!" she moaned and he lost it completely, spilling himself inside of her with a rush of emotions. He was fulfilled, he was sated, he was still ridiculously turned on…and as he looked in her dozing eyes as he carried her into his inner rooms towards his bed to sleep, that he was falling in love.

**A/N: Please Please review! Requests are officially open, or just stop by to say what ya liked or didn't like!**


	12. Sharp Dressed Man

**A/N: Title of chappie taken from a ZZ Top song. And if you haven't noticed, I've been going back and forth between Remus and Sirius, trying to give them equal time. So if you have read and done your calculations correctly…then this chapter belongs to Sirius Enjoy!**

Remus had woken up before Hermione and was now watching her sleep in his arms. He stroked her brown curls softly behind her ear and marveled at the beauty and innocence in his arms. In a way, it almost stung. Times like these she couldn't help but seem so impressionable and young, like someone he should never ever be touching. But it was undeniable that his health had been remarkable since she had come into the picture. His recovery after the full moon was quicker than normal and there was always color to his cheeks and lightness in his amber eyes now. He felt light a much younger man with her.

"What in the world have you done to me?" he whispered to her sleeping form, curling his arms more tightly around her stomach and he felt her slowly start to stir. Her eyes fluttered and she took in a deep breath before rolling over to meet his eyes. Smiling sleepily she said, "Good morning _Professor_," remembering their more than steamy bout of lovemaking down stairs in the classroom the night before.

"Don't start that, we don't have time for that this morning. It's your first day of classes and you better get back to your rooms before the entire school knows more than I want them to about you," he grinned at her warmly and she knew he was right. Her stomach fluttered in excitement at the thought of teaching her first class and she gave him a lingering, sweet kiss before getting out of bed. She slipped on her clothes from the night before and used a quick spell to smooth out the wrinkles so that she would look like she was doing a complete walk of shame.

"Hold on a second," Remus told her, still lying in bed. She paused and turned to look at him quizzically, a cute smile playing on her lips as her eyes remained on his scarred chest.

"What is it?"

"You are just so beautiful, I just wanted to look at you," he said truthfully. He knew Sirius would slap him for saying something like that, for being so ridiculously lovey this soon into whatever it was that they were doing, but he just couldn't help it. He was relieved when her face lit up and she gave him another glowing smile before leaving.

Hermione made it back to her rooms without any incident. She penned a quick letter to Ginny telling her that they needed to get together this weekend to talk, and then she took a bath and got dressed. She stared at the mirror for a long while, trying to decide what the most professorly way to do her hair was and finally decided on a simple twist. She was down in the Ancient Runes classroom five minutes before nine for her first class, filled with nerves.

They were third year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws. She couldn't help but feel a surge of nostalgia, remembering her first Ancient Runes class her third year. The students seemed so young and they looked up at her with looks of awe that weren't familiar to her.

"Hello everyone, I'm Professor Granger, and this is Ancient Runes. I know all of you are no strangers to who I am and who I am friends with, and I will gladly answer questions you might have, but I would really like to dive in. The first thing I want to tell you is to take this class seriously…it was due to in part of what I learned in this very classroom that I was able to decode things my friends couldn't and therefore did a whole lot of good with it….." she started in. She was natural at it, just as gifted at teaching as she was at learning and the two hour class flew by without incident. After the last dawdlers left—a few fellow Gryffindor's that were asking all sorts of questions, she found herself happy and ready for lunch.

"Hey, 'Mione!" Neville Longbottom came striding up alongside of her as she walked towards the Great Hall. He was wearing his teaching robes and she was so glad to see him. She didn't often get to see Neville and his wife Luna Lovegood since they were so busy with their new baby.

"Hi Neville, how are you? How's Luna? Baby Regina?" Hermione asked excitedly.

"Good, everyone is good. But I am glad to be back, I actually get to sleep through the night, y'know?" he grinned, "McGonagall has me taking on Muggle Studies since Sprout came back, but I found that I really like it."

"That's great Neville, I'm so glad to have someone my age here. I was so afraid I would be lost this morning in my first class but it worked out alright. It's just nice to have a friendly face," she looked up at the still gangly man gratefully as they entered the loud hall. Walking up to the head table, her and Neville took a seat besides Lupin, who gave her a small, undetected smile.

"Remus, glad to see you, how was your summer?" Neville asked jovially. The werewolf took a break from eating and shook his colleague and friends' hand happily.

"Interesting," he smirked and Hermione couldn't help but flame. She quickly grabbed for a piece of chicken from the platter in front of her and began to eat.

"Great," Neville turned back to Hermione, "So…I heard things didn't work with Ron. 'Mione I'm so sorry. I offered Harry to let you stay but he said you didn't want to impose…where are you living?"

Hermione couldn't be mad at the guy, he was born without a sense of what made conversations awkward. He was simply a curious and caring friend, and she needed more of those.

Before she could answer, Remus saved her, "She's living with me and Sirius actually."

"That's brilliant! Sounds like loads of fun!" Neville beamed and she smiled to herself as they all fell silent and ate. Disaster was luckily avoided.

**00000**

"Mr. Black, even though I am unfortunately well aware of your living situation and I seriously dislike the fact that you are an object of the affections of the best student I have ever had the pleasure to teach-this is not a come and go as you please arrangement!" Headmistress McGonagall snapped as Sirius Black strode into the entrance to Hogwarts castle. She had been discussing the afternoon schedule with Professor Flitwick, who had made himself scarce when he saw the annoyed look in the older witch's eye. Sirius walked up to her confidently, wearing a dark eggplant suit. He loved days when he could dress in his more eccentric wizarding clothes, and he looked damn good wearing anything he put on.

"The picture of charm and decorum, my dear Minerva, as usual," he smiled disarmingly at her as he took her hand and brought it to his lips. Even she wasn't completely immune to him and she stopped her fussing for the time being.

"I thought you were going back to work for the Order with Kingsley?" she pursed her lips at him, knowing that something was definitely up with the pureblood.

"He wanted to send me to Romania for a bloody month to deal with some vampires. I told Kingsley he could take the assignment and shove it up his arse," Sirius dismissed the subject, not noticing the blush it caused on the Headmistress' cheeks.

"You better start making good use of your time, Sirius, you can't lounge about in London forever," her eyebrows raised at him and he just smiled.

"I am doing something, I'm here aren't I? How's our dear Hermione?" he asked curiously.

"From the delightful buzz that is going around the school, I know lessons with one third of the Golden Trio are going over well so far. I think Professor Granger is currently eating lunch. And I have a matter to attend to in the Charms classroom-but Sirius-don't underestimate what I can and will find out if I have to…" Minerva smiled at Sirius, but it was a warning smile. They both respected each other immensely, but McGonagall thought of Hermione as the daughter she never had, and Sirius was rather intimidated of the woman. She whisked away quickly and Sirius entered the Great Hall. His dark eyes searched for her among the other professors and found her laughing and talking animatedly with Neville Longbottom and Remus.

Their eyes met at the same time. She looked up from her plate and they both froze there. It wasn't like he was a stranger to the wizarding world, and he was well aware of the whispers and giggles that were coming from the students sitting closest to him. Especially from the girls. He raised his hand and with just a finger, beckoned her over.

The small sexy motion pulled at her instinctively, and she excused herself quickly from the conversation. When Remus realized she was getting up and walking towards the large double doors of the Great Hall, he followed her retreating form and found Sirius was to blame for the interruption.

_He couldn't even wait one bloody day_… Remus shook his head, and tried to ignore the jealousy clenching at his stomach at the pair walked out of the hall and he continued his conversation with Neville.

"Sirius, what in the…"

"I missed you," he said simply. The entrance hall was empty and he kissed her softly, pulling her close to him, smelling her sweet fruity scent that was now laced with parchment.

"It's been one day," she laughed.

"One day too long," he stated. There wasn't playfulness to his voice. He was serious. Last night had been murder for him. He had drunken a bottle and a half of fire whiskey and passed out in the library thinking about her. He woke up cold and lonely. He hated it. He had half a mind to try and convince her to quit her job and run away with him to the South of France.

But he knew she would never do it, and Hermione had never been the type to give up on something that she loved doing.

"Did you already ask for a day off from your new gig?" she looked up at him, finding it very hard to keep their embrace appropriate and took a step away from him so she wouldn't be too tempted.

"I found it wasn't for me. Kingsley was supportive of my decision," he smirked. She rolled her eyes and he wanted to spank her for being a sassy little swot. And it was even worse that he was in a situation where he was helpless to her unintentional torture.

"Remus is going to be so mad at you," she said softly. He knew that coming here on the first day of classes was a risk. He knew it might seem a bit possessive, or even slightly insane that he missed her that much, but he could do it and so he did.

"I'll deal with your other boyfriend. Fancy a walk?" he asked, putting on the charm again, putting out an arm for her to take.

"I have an hour before my next class," she agreed and they walked out into the crisp early September day. The walked in perfect, comfortable silence for a few minutes, and she realized they were cutting a path straight towards the edge of the grounds, but she decided not to say anything.

"Hermione, there is something I need to talk to you about," he said. His lilting, aristocratic voice made it sound like something delightful, but she knew by the look in his eyes that she should be a little nervous.

"What is it?"

"The first night…the first night we had sex. I shouldn't have pushed you out of my room like that. I couldn't believe I could ever treat you like that. But I did. I never knew how to bring it up but it's been slowly eating at me, 'Mione," he looked so sincere. They had stopped by Hagrid's Hut and he turned to her with the most intense, pained look on his face.

"Sirius, I forgive you…" she told him gently, although if she was being honest with herself, it had hurt more than she thought it would.

"No…I don't forgive myself. Hermione you have to realize I haven't been in a real relationship in a long long time. Since before you were born. And I am scared out of my fucking mind right now," he admitted. His eyes were so big and sad and she was rendered speechless. She never thought of Sirius as the sharing type. Truthfully she knew so little about his past other than the raunchy things Harry had told her to try and scare her off. But nothing this sincere. Sometimes she had even wondered if the man was capable of real emotion.

But here he was, his eyes almost watering as he held her hands tightly.

"Sirius, we don't have to do this if you don't want to…"

"NO," there was finality to the way he said it. He sounded so sure, "I need you in my life Hermione. Sometimes I very much dislike that I need you so much, but I can't help it…"

She smiled up at him. This was as close as Sirius Black could come to admitting he might be in love, and she knew it was killing him inside. But, she knew she had already fallen for him and her heart lurched happily at his admission. Even if it was all happening so fast.

"I'm sorry I did that, Hermione, I truly want you." He finished. She was floored as he hands cupped her face and his fingers stroked down her jawline, pulling her forward into a heated kiss.

"I want you too Sirius. Now I have half an hour…so you better make it quick," she told him and he took her hand, pulling her towards the Forbidden Forest. She loved that even though she knew now that he could be a truly sweet man, he always brought out a reckless streak in her that she hadn't been aware fully existed until he came around.

Once they were a couple of dozen meters into the forest, Sirius pinned Hermione against a large tree and kissed her passionately.

"Did you get all dressed up to come to my place of work and ravish me?" she asked breathlessly between kisses.

"I might have thought about it," he winked at her and she gripped his olive green tie and pulled him closer to her with need. He sucked on her lower lip hard before moving his hands down her body and pushing up the hem of the simple grey dress she was wearing up and over her thighs. He lowered his body, kissing her navel and then down to the line of her black panties. He kissed around the edges and up her thighs before planting a kiss on her damp panties.

It wasn't something Sirius did often, as he had always enjoyed the more male-centered acts of sex, but he had a need to taste her so bad, and pleasure her. He felt like an arse for not treating her like a lady from the first; and even though licking her in the Forbidden Forest wasn't exactly chivalrous, it was wholly unselfish for him.

He felt her excitement as she put her hands in his hair and pushing him towards her sex, bucking her hips slightly so that his face grinded against her. He took his hand and slipped the little black panties off of her and she stepped out of them. He pocketed them in his suit jacket and finally kissed her where she wanted it, was begging for it. He tasted her sweet muskiness and in that moment knew this wouldn't be a one-time thing for him. He didn't know if he could handle not tasting her often.

He gripped her hips and sucked on her clit before delving his tongue into her. She moaned and writhed against the tree and his fingers scratched down her thighs as her hips as he kissed and sucked on her harder, finally bringing her to cum hard into his mouth as she collapsed against the tree, falling into his arms. He smoothed down her dress and held her, looking into her beautiful eyes before clutching her tightly to him.

**A/N: Well…that made me blush writing that haha. Please be nice! Thanks new reviewers for reviewing! It doesn't go unnoticed! I'd love to hear from all of you! You guys rock if you like this ship, because obviously I am obsessed with it…so we have that in common! Also, this idea came from BandGeek252, and requests for sexy stuff is still open for a few chapters! Take advantage!**


	13. Confessions

**A/N: Hi guys! Thanks to my new reviewers who have spoken up and made my day! You all rock though, and I appreciate each and every one of you. Enjoy! Oh…and the first part of this chapter is pretty graphic. You have been duly warned.**

"Hermione, where did you go?"

She was sitting cross legged in his bedroom in the castle sipping some tea later that night. He hadn't talked to her much the rest of the day, but she hadn't had much time to talk. After her rendezvous with Sirius in the Forbidden Forest, she had to rush back to the castle to make it to her afternoon class with the Slytherin and Hufflepuff sixth years. He had ignored her most of dinner, but had asked her to come up to his rooms. After a few awkward silent moments he had finally broken.

He had kept himself on the opposite side of the room as her, pacing, and not touching his tea. All day he could smell Sirius on her, and it was driving him crazy. It wasn't the lingering scent his acute senses picked up from the exchange of a quick hug or kiss – no, it was much more potent. She had been aroused all day and he smelt him on her in a deeply sensual way. He knew she was dating both of them and all of them had agreed to the situation like adults, but he was still finding himself unnecessarily jealous. And he wondered if she would lie about it.

"We took a walk around the grounds and talked about a few things," she said, not liking his intense stare from across the room.

"Is that all?" he hated the insecure way his voice sounded, it wasn't like she was cheating on him or anything, but ever since Tonks left and told him her reason for cheating had been because she couldn't handle both the wolf and the man, he felt like he was always in second place.

"No." she answered, down-turning her eyes. He gave up his pacing and went to sit on the edge of the bed, "Sirius apologized for being so cruel the first night we slept together. And then we made up for it."

She hadn't lied. And that was one of the things that endeared him to the witch the most: her pure heart and honesty.

Remus put his head in his hands, rubbing his temples to try and make his headache from the stress fade, "Sometimes this whole agreement gets the better of me," he apologized.

"I won't deny it is sometimes utterly confusing. But Remus, when I am with you I am only _with you_. Sirius isn't even on my mind. And I try to give him the exact same consideration. What happened today with him needed to happen. I needed to forgive him and he needed to let go." She sighed, placing her empty tea cup down and crawling over to Remus on the bed, placing her hands on his back and slowly kneading into the muscles to loosen them. She gave him a kiss on the back of the head.

"It's hard when my competition is fucking Sirius Black," despite her soft rubbing of his muscles, he was still tense and angry. He got up from his place on the bed and opened up his satchel to fish something out. He threw the glossy magazine and letter on the bed in front of Hermione, "This came for you at lunch after you left."

She picked up the magazine and stared at it in absolute horror for a few seconds. It was a copy of the latest _Wizard_ magazine, with a high gloss moving photo of her and Sirius during the middle of their intimate dinner date the other night. He was whispering something into her ear and she was giggling in her red dress. The headline read, "Is Notorious Playboy Black and Sexy Golden Trio Girl Granger London's New It Couple?"

Hermione couldn't look at Remus and instead focused her attention on the letter; ripping it open and reading it out loud.

-Hermione,

This was all over London this morning. On every newsstand in every wizard shop and all over Diagon Alley. Mum almost had a heart attack. Harry is furious. What in the world is going on?

-Ginny

"Secret's out," Lupin said bitterly. He moped around the edge of the room with his arms crossed, "Might as well just be with him – seeing as you two make the _wizarding worlds' sexiest couple_…"

"_Remus John Lupin_!" Hermione threw the magazine to the floor and stood up, drawing herself up tall to face him, "I will not have any boyfriend of mine going around and thinking that he is less than any other man! Yes, Sirius is sexy. But so are you. Sometimes even more so, because you don't even have to try to be. You don't need the clothes or the charm, it's all in your eyes. And I do not care if me and him are on the cover of the smuttiest, trashiest tabloid in England, it doesn't mean a thing. It doesn't mean I'm not in love with you!" she poured her heart out to him and her final admission of love made his eyes soften. She was standing there in front of him, so passionate about him, that it momentarily made him forget all his petty qualms with himself and his lycanthropy.

"You're in love with me?" he repeated.

"Yes, Remus, I am," she whispered. She had secretly been wondering who she would say it to first. Or if they would be the first to say it. She had almost said it to Sirius today after he had nearly admitted it to her. But something about this moment just seemed too perfect. She needed him to know.

"Hermione, I know it hasn't been that long but I am too. I am so in love with you," he told her and swept her up into his arms, kissing her passionately. He carried her over to the bed and laid her down gently on top of the messy blankets, parting from kissing her sweet lips to look at her flushed and beautiful face. He took a moment to plant small kisses on her forehead, down both of her cheeks, and down her neck. He took both of the straps of her dress and slid them over her shoulders before gently tugging it down over her breasts and her stomach. He paused to kiss a pathway in between her bra and down around her belly button.

She giggled, "Remus…"

"Darling, I want to make love to you," he whispered to her fervently. There was a need in his voice. Truthfully, he had needed it all day since he had smelled her sweet smell laced with Sirius' darker one. Even though he was far away from the full moon, he felt the wolf more present in him tonight. He knew that deep down in his heart, he wanted to mark her as his soul mate. The wolf in him wanted to bite her. The man in him wanted to love her unendingly. That was just how Remus was—he always gave his everything.

He slid her dress over her panties and off down her smooth legs. Hermione just looked up at him, her chest rising and falling steadily. When she was nearly naked, he traced his long fingers around her perfect round breasts and slowly took her bra off, placing it gently to the side before moving his fingers from one budding pink nipple to the other. He brought his mouth down and slowly kissed each of them, lavishing her with his touch, and being so gentle. Hermione just ran her hand through his hair, keeping it there on the back of his head as he kissed her. He was trying to control every emotion in his body. He wanted to be so sweet with her and yet so rough with her at the same time.

He moved so that he had his body over hers and kissed his way from her breasts down to the line of her panties. He ignored the scent. Her and Sirius hadn't fucked in the forest, and he knew that from the first kiss to the sweet apex of her thighs. It scared him that Sirius had performed an act on her that he knew the animagus was not fond of doing because it meant he would not have all the pleasure. It meant things with them were deeper than he thought they were.

He pulled her panties down and off and gave her a wet kiss on her sex. Hermione moaned softly, grasping the sheets around her in her hands. She couldn't believe she was so lucky. Ron had never ever gone down there….and Remus was so different than Sirius. Both men were intoxicating, but so completely opposite.

Remus kissed her slowly, long sensual licks up her folds, treating her like the most precious object he had ever beheld—because truly she was. When his tongue entered her it wasn't as urgent, it was a torturously slow rhythm that Hermione found deadly. It built her up to a plateau of pleasure she had rarely been at for so long before one last tonguing of her clit made her cum. He watched her body arch and fall back onto the bed as he tasted her. It was the most delicious drug, and Remus was instantly addicted.

When she had finished her climax, Remus crawled up her body, his kisses leading the way before pressing his mouth to hers. She groaned as she felt his need on her thigh and she started to paw for the buttons on his shirt. He helped her, quickly discarding his clothes and getting back on top of her. He paused to look her in the eyes.

"Hermione, maybe we shouldn't…" it was his voice of reason talking to her, warning both of them that this was a bad idea. He was so head over heels for her. He didn't know if he could manage to hold back that side of him that he had kept from her.

"Remus you can't tell me you want to make love to me and stop…"she panted, her arms around his neck. Their bodies were so close and yet she felt like he was suddenly miles away. He had just rocked her to the core with the most sensual act she had ever experienced. She thought Sirius had been amazing….but Remus far outdid him in that category.

"I don't want to stop, but I can't trust myself Hermione, I'm scared I'll be rough with you and I will hurt you…" he looked pained. She didn't understand. She wanted all of him, the man and the wolf.

"Please…" she asked of him softly and his lips crashed against hers. He slowly rocked inside of her, trying his best to control himself. It was slow and pleasurable, but even Hermione could tell he was holding something back as she kissed him. She tried to move her hips so he would enter her deeper but he just pulled away and moved at the pace he could control. The love that passed between them was not hindered, however, and it brought tears to Hermione's eyes. She felt it, and she knew he meant it.

Hermione moaned softly for him to come and he did, burying his head into the crook of her neck, kissing her to distract himself for the urge to run his hands hard down her body and shove himself inside of her for another round. The sweet flesh of her neck called to the wolf inside of him, and he wanted to own her and have her be his.

He pulled away almost the second after he was finished, rolling onto his back and looking at the ceiling of his room in disbelief at the myriad of emotions that had just passed through his body. When he turned to look at Hermione, he saw that her cheeks were tear-stained.

"What did I do, sweet girl?" he asked, a tone of self-loathing apparent in his voice.

"Nothing, that was beautiful, to make love to you. But Remus you are holding something back. That wasn't like before…"

"I feel so strongly for you Hermione that if I let myself go fully, it could be disastrous," he deadpanned. It was a cold voice, a scared voice.

"But your passion is what I love about you; it makes you who you are,"

"No, it makes me a monster. I can't imagine what I would do if I scratched you and you bled from it, or if I kissed you until you bruised…" he shook his head.

"I wouldn't mind being marked up by you," she admitted quietly, and the thought both aroused him and disquieted him.

"You don't know what you are saying," he sighed, reaching over to hold her hand.

**00000**

"Harry, my dear boy, so good for you to pop by for a visit," Sirius said with a nervous over-enthusiasm as he greeted his Godson at the penthouse door. Harry gave him a big, sincere hug, but moved away quickly to sit in the living room. Sirius followed suit, wondering how sometimes the boy made him feel like the younger man in their relationship.

He noticed with disdain that Harry was clutching the magazine that Sirius couldn't seem to get away from.

"How did I know this wasn't just a visit because you love me," Sirius winked at Harry, who set the magazine down between them on the coffee table.

"Sirius, what is this? I mean I knew you two _were_….but how can you be so stupid as to think people weren't going to take pictures?" Harry asked.

"Hermione deserves to be taken out and shown to the world. Pictures be damned. I'm not going to keep her locked up in here because we both have a bit of fame attached to our names…" Sirius rolled his eyes.

"A bit?" Harry laughed, "Oh come on. This is the gossip article of the decade, and although I am happy to not see my name in the tabloids anymore, I do not want my best friends' reputation smutted around like this!"

"Harry, I didn't write the damn article! Everyone is acting like I did this on purpose! I just took her out to dinner. They are the ones with no life if they have to sneak pictures and write some bullshit article about our torrid yearlong off and on romance that doesn't even bloody exist!" Sirius threw his hands up in the air.

"Then please explain to me what is going on between you and Hermione. And tell me the truth," Harry crossed his arms. He loved Hermione like a protective older brother, and this whole ordeal was testing his last nerves.

"I thought it was just physical at first. But Harry, I have fallen in love with her," Sirius sighed. It was the first time he had said it out loud to anyone, although it had been running through his brain since his talk with her at Hogwarts. There was just no denying it any longer.

Harry sputtered, "You…you love her? Hermione Granger? As much as I love you Sirius, I know you don't exactly dole out affection…"

"I am aware of that, and it scares me." He stated flatly in reply.

"Are you taking care of her? Are you making sure she's…healthy?" Harry swallowed uncomfortably, "I mean…when she first told me you two slept together I nearly forced her to St. Mungo's."

Sirius laughed loudly. It was the first good laugh he had had in days, "The things you know and think you know about me Harry astound me."

"You can't keep much to yourself when you are drunk at our poker nights," Harry grinned.

"Trust me. Her and I are both very much 'healthy' if you want to put it that way," Sirius smirked at his Godson's blushing cheeks, "And I have no intention of leaving her or hurting her. Ever."

Harry seemed satisfied for the moment, before he leaned forward and asked, "So…exactly how much of this article is true?"

Sirius' eyes sparkled in amusement. He had read the lascivious article over and over and had to admit it was a great story. But totally false, "Only the fact that she was wearing black panties," he smirked at his Godson who suddenly looked quite sick to his stomach.

**A/N: Please review! I love them so much and they have been making my days brighter! FYI, one chapter left for you to submit a request for a sex scene you want so if I were you, I wouldn't delay. Love you guys!**

*updated because of a terrible glaring error I hope none of you noticed and I only attribute to my writing late at night*


	14. Girl Talk

**A/N: I know this chapter will be a little different than what you are expecting or used to, but please bear with me. It is important to set up some things and I also wanted to give you guys an insight to what Hermione is thinking as well as give you a better glimpse at her relationship with Ginny. Enjoy!**

The morning after Remus and Hermione's emotional love-making, she woke up before him. They were twisted in the sheets and he was dead asleep still. Judging by the fact that the sun hadn't crept all the way through the window, she knew it was earlier than usual. But she had this awful feeling that was clawing and clenching at her stomach and she just couldn't bring herself to have a lazy morning in bed.

She grabbed a spare bit of parchment and quickly wrote out a note to Remus telling him she'd gone back to her room to shower, leaving it on the pillow besides him. She grabbed her things and got dressed, pulling her robes over herself before leaving his rooms and hastily walking through his classroom before departing out into the hallway.

She relaxed when she caught sight of a clock and realized it was earlier than she thought – 5:45 in the morning. She made it back to her room, changed and decided to go for a run instead. She hadn't had a chance to run since she had started working there, and granted it had only been a few days, she needed the release and the alone time to think about what was really plaguing her.

Within minutes she was running around the lake, the cold early morning air stinging her face and making her ears burn. For a while her mind was empty of anything other than her heartbeat and the rhythmic footfall of her strides. Yet soon her thoughts grew more complicated, directing themselves at Remus and she felt that uncomfortable ache in her stomach again.

She was in love with him, and he with her. She felt so strongly about the man in so many ways that she didn't understand what had possessed her to leave him so early this morning. She knew he would worry, and question his actions from the night before. But that was exactly the reason her stomach was hurting—she needed more from him. She had finally had someone other than Ron tell her he loved her and suddenly Remus had drawn back everything she loved about him. His intensity, his passion, his warmth: all of that wasn't present in his lovemaking. The love was there, but only from the few kisses he gave her and the unspoken bond between them. Everything else, however, had gone missing in a matter of moments.

Her thoughts morphed quickly to Sirius, and she had an overwhelming urge to talk to him, and ask his opinion, to ask him for help. She had gone from being so skeptical and wary of him to thoroughly trusting him with her life in a matter of weeks. She knew she could talk to him about anything; even if it was his best mate who also happened to be her other boyfriend.

As Hermione ended her run, slowing down to a light jog and then to a walk; catching her breath outside the castle, she realized just how complicated things really were. It had all started so quickly, and she had naively thought it could go on like this maybe forever. But now that the 'love' word had surfaced, she knew that all of them were undoubtedly playing a game they might not all be ready to play.

**00000**

Hermione was thankful that Remus didn't seem to think anything odd of her early departure, and things were rather normal for the remainder of the first week of classes. She was slowly getting the hang of teaching and giving out assignments, and grading things. She finally felt at home, like she belonged somewhere again, but she couldn't forget the fact that she as more than ready to return to London for the weekend.

On Friday afternoon, Remus and Hermione walked cheerfully to the designated apparition point in Hogsmeade, chatting casually about the week and the spells he was teaching his students in Defense. They gripped each other tightly and concentrated hard on the front door of the penthouse, apparating there quickly and without much trouble. Sirius was already opening the door, having anxiously awaited the tell-tale 'pop' that signaled their arrival.

Hermione flung her arms around Sirius and kissed him on the cheek. Remus hugged him without any hint of jealousy. Despite the war for Hermione's affection; nothing would ever change the fact that they were best friends.

"Ahem…why have you been ignoring my owls?" Ginny Weasley interrupted the love fest in the hallway by walking towards them with her arms crossed. Hermione looked up at Sirius in question.

"She's been here for hours waiting," she couldn't ignore the exhaustion and annoyance in Sirius's voice, and if she knew Ginny—she had probably given Sirius a lecture about everything and anything she perceived he had done wrong.

"I've been a bit busy with my first week of classes," Hermione answered her best friend uncharacteristically coldly. All she wanted to do was have dinner with Remus and Sirius and call it a night. But Ginny seemed intent on other plans.

"Well, we have a lot to catching up to do. Harry's out with my brothers…not _all of them_…" she added when she saw the frown on Hermione's face, "And you and I need a girl's night. So go on then…change and get your ass out here so we can go!"

Hermione looked up at Remus and Sirius for help but they both just shrugged.

"Best not keep her waiting, love…" Remus stifled a laugh and Hermione just marched to her room, threw on some of the new clothes that Sirius bought her: a black skirt and a low cut white blouse. She slipped on some black heels, put on a dab of lipstick and walked back out to the living room where all three of them were waiting in silence.

Remus bit his lip when he saw her, clearly upset about something but trying not to say it. Sirius, however, had no problem voicing his opinion.

"Go change again. You are not wearing that out of the house," he said, and his tone was so parental, Hermione couldn't help but laugh.

"You bought these clothes for me Sirius, and now you don't want me to wear them?"

Ginny was impatiently tapping her foot as Sirius ran his gaze down from her beautiful face to her collarbone to the more than hint of cleavage her shirt was showing.

"No. Just no," he stated firmly and Ginny snapped, grabbing Hermione by the arm.

"This is bullshit, I am going out with my best friend, so feel free to sit and whine about it Black, but I'm not waiting a second longer—goodbye!" Ginny waved over her head to them, pulling Hermione out the door and slamming it shut behind her.

Once they were in the elevator, Hermione finally found the courage to talk to her seemingly irrational best friend.

"You can't just barge into my apartment and hold my boyfriend hostage and demand I go out with you!"

"Your boyfriend?!" Ginny nearly shrieked as the elevator came to a halt on the first floor of the apartment building and they momentarily had to act like adults until they were out on the street. Ginny walked fast down the sidewalk.

"Yes, my boyfriend, so please…explain this," Hermione asked, starting to calm down as she was one step behind Ginny.

"You didn't answer me, and I got worried. You've closed yourself off. Harry's really upset with you, and so am I. But beyond that, I just really want some normal time with you, to just be girls," Ginny's eyes were wide and sincere as they walked down an alley between two apartment complexes and came upon a wizard pub that Hermione had heard her friends talk about but had never been. The two girls grabbed a booth inside and ordered some butterbeers.

"I'm sorry, I guess I have been distant," she apologized to the red head that finally cracked a smile. The girls sat and drank for a while in silence, forgiveness passing through the looks exchanged. It was hard for them to ever stay mad at each other, and they rarely ever fought. They were practically like sisters.

"Look, 'Mione, it's just been hard. When that article came out, Mum and Dad went a little crazy. They think of you like a daughter, and since Harry and I are the only ones that know it got a tad bit awkward when we had to explain to them what was going on. And I told them that none of the stuff in there was true. So please tell me it isn't…" Ginny asked pleadingly. Hermione was happy to smile and give her the answer she wanted. The youngest Weasley sighed in relief.

"So it's that bad huh?" Hermione leaned back into the booth with a regretful look on her face. She had been so caught up in the secrets and the romance that she hadn't realized she had completely pushed out the people she called family, and neglected to tell them anything.

"Everyone thinks Sirius is trying to corrupt you. Harry's convinced himself that he's turned you into a right slut. And Mum's really worried about Remus and his…"

"Stop…please," Hermione sighed. For educated, compassionate wizards, they sure were all jumping to a lot of conclusions, "Yes I am having sex with both of them, but I am far from a slut…so Harry is certainly going to hear about that, and Remus is safe with me. Almost too safe now really."

Ginny's eyes went wide. This was her territory. And she had missed gossiping and chatting with her best girl, "Alright, the drama can be put on hold with my family for now. But I sense there is a little trouble in paradise?"

"No, not trouble," Hermione thought about it for a second, "I'm just confused. I'm dating two best friends. More than dating, actually, they are my boyfriends, and I think I am in love with both of them."

"This is worse than I thought…"

"I know! Ginny, do you think it is possible to be in love with two men at the exact same time?" Hermione asked. Even though the girl was younger than she was, she seemed to have a firmer grasp of love and how to have a successful relationship than Hermione had ever had.

"Lust, yes. Love, no. Although, if you love both of them for completely different reasons, I can see it happening. After all, they are practically polar opposites of each other," she sighed and looked at Hermione after setting down her empty butterbeer glass and ordering another.

"Wonderful," Hermione answered sarcastically, "I thought I could keep them separate. But now I can't. Remus and I had a weird night the other night and I so badly wanted to tell Sirius about it, for him to comfort me. In what world is that normal?"

Ginny just laughed, "My best friend, the smartest witch of our age is dating two devastatingly handsome older men and is all over the tabloids because of it… I don't think anything is surprising or normal anymore."

"How are you and Harry?" Hermione exasperatedly changed the subject. Now that she realized exactly how complicated her love life really was, it was giving her a headache.

"Great. Besides the fact that he's mourning the loss of your innocence which I politely tried to tell him came a hell of a long time ago- just fine. We are talking about a little one, maybe," Ginny smiled brightly and Hermione took her friends' hands over the table and grinned along with her.

"Ginny, that's amazing, you are going to make such a great mum!"

"I know, and Harry will be a great father. I really want you to get married Hermione. You deserve that happiness…"

"I'm not ready. And there is no one to marry…." She said evasively.

"No one to marry?…not one of your boyfriends?" Ginny goaded.

"First of all, one wants to be a bachelor forever…"

"_I'm not so sure of that_," Ginny smirked under her breath.

"What did you say to him? What did he tell you?" Hermione, catching her mumblings, blushed.

"Nothing…nothing go on…" Ginny said quickly and Hermione shot her a dirty look before continuing.

"And the other doesn't think he deserves the time of day from any witch, let alone me. So to answer your question Ginny, no, I am not out ring shopping." She huffed and crossed her arms as their second round arrived.

"Fine fine, but I am curious to know…who's better in bed?" Ginny leaned over the table and asked, the glint in her eye devilish.

Hermione's face flamed the reddest Ginny had ever seen it.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! If you took the time to read, please take a second to review! Also, I structured this chapter to extend the 'sexy submissions' for one more chapter. I have gotten a lot for Remus, so I wanted to give Sirius fans one last chance to weigh in. Once the next chapter is posted, all submissions will be closed and we will get on with the story!**


	15. Late Nights

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews Team Sirius! You guys have finally spoken and I loved it! Haha, so this is for you guys… this wasn't one of your suggestions (those will come later) but I thought this would be fun…**

**POP!** _"Ginny…what the hell?"_ **Crash**

Sirius heard the two girls giggle outside the door before he heard it unlock. It was four in the morning. He heard a quick goodbye pass between them before the uneven click of Hermione's heels could be heard crossing the tile of the hallway, past the kitchen.

He contemplated getting up and going to her, wondering vaguely which bed she would want to sleep in tonight. He was sitting in the library in his favorite worn leather chair. On the small table besides him was a tumbler of fire whiskey that he hadn't even taken a sip of. He had been in there for hours lost in thought, lost in a sense of anger, and sadness.

The door to the library clicked open and Sirius looked up to see Hermione standing there. She looked just as beautiful as she did when she left, but her eyes were tired and slightly glazed over, and she was wobbling in her heels.

"I am so angry with you," came out of Sirius' mouth before he could stop it. It hadn't been what he had wanted to say to her, but he couldn't deny that he meant it. She didn't reply, just walked forward towards him and sat down on his lap in the chair. He wanted to move, to push her away for the first time, but he couldn't bring himself to. She grabbed the tumbler of whiskey and put it to her lips.

She only got a sip before he pulled it away and slammed it back down on the table, "Hermione, stop…you are drunk…how much have you had?"

"None of your business," she said.

"_Hermione_…"

"I don't remember!" she pouted. It made him less angry, to see her helpless like that, but he couldn't easily forget all of his anger, "Why haven't you been drinking?" she asked.

Sirius shrugged, he surprisingly hadn't had a drink all night even though he had poured himself one, "People can change Hermione, I'm not always a lecherous drunk…" he laughed a bit.

She put her index finger on his face and traced the line of stubble down his cheekbones, "But I _like_ that you are a lecherous drunk," she giggled. It was hard for him not to give in and kiss her, but he wanted to hold his ground.

He put his hands on both of Hermione's shoulders and held her still, she finally met his eyes with hers and although she was clearly not altogether, she was listening.

"Hermione, do you know how dangerous it is for you to apparate drunk? You don't have all your focus, you could have splinched yourself. And besides that fact, I really don't like the fact that you were out until four in the bloody morning looking like this!" he motioned to her outfit; he had been stewing in jealousy all night.

"Like what?" she asked naively.

"Sexy as hell," he growled. There was no denying it, and the fact that she was unaware of it made her even sexier, "And I would have just died if something happened to you…"

"Ginny took care of me," Hermione protested.

"From the sound of it, she was just as drunk as you were, and let's not forget that Mrs. Potter isn't exactly my biggest fan at the moment."

There was a heavy silence between the two of them. Sirius knew he was being a bit unreasonable, but he had been worried about her. And Hermione's brain was flicking from loving Sirius' sincerity to uncharacteristic dirty thoughts.

"Sirius. If I ask you for a favor, will you promise to do it for me? No matter what I say?" Hermione stood up from his lap, and grabbed for the whiskey before he could catch her, shooting it back, coughing a little bit after. She walked over to the opposite end of the room, running her hand over the old books on the shelves. The library had unsurprisingly become her favorite place in the flat.

"I can't promise that," he swallowed hard. She turned to face him as she leaned against the built in bookshelves, her legs slightly spread as she perched herself there, staring at him.

"Please, Sirius," she didn't have to beg, his name leaving her lips was enough and he instantly knew that whatever she asked, he would willingly comply.

"Whatever you want, kitten."

"Fuck me."

Sirius experienced so many emotions at those two words that he thought he would nearly explode. His erection was now painfully straining against his trousers, but he knew this wasn't how Hermione acted. This was a combination of spending hours around Ginny and massive amounts of alcohol.

"Time for bed…" Sirius laughed a little, "Come on, let's go…"

"Sirius…_fuck me_…" he voice was urgent now, and he couldn't believe he had held out this long. He usually was a much lesser man and normally wouldn't have hesitated if a gorgeous witch was nearly demanding him to ravish her. But now that he had strong feelings for Hermione, he couldn't just do it.

He got up from his chair and walked over to her, putting one hand on either side of her, pressing his palms on the books in the shelves; effectively trapping her there.

"Why are you asking me to fuck you…" he said calmly, breathing into her ear. He heard her breath quicken at his question.

"I just…"

"_You just what_?" Sirius couldn't figure her out, "As tempted as I am, I am going to need a good reason. Because I have fallen in love with you and there has been nothing more that I have thought about than making love to you this weekend."

"Sirius, you love me?" she breathed, and there was a slightly sobered look to her now that he had finally admitted it. He nodded.

"Unfortunately, my dear, I do."

"I love you too," she smiled and he kissed her passionately against the bookshelf, pressing against her. He had hoped she would say it back. He hadn't truly loved a woman in in 27 years, and it felt like a revelation to admit it. Suddenly she pushed him back, her lips pink from the kiss, "But I still need you to fuck me," she said.

"Don't tempt me sweetheart," he said, kissing up her neck. She moaned softly.

"I'm not trying to tempt you, I'm telling you," she told him in the sexiest voice he had ever heard. It killed him to take advantage of her while she was drunk, but he needed her and he had missed her.

"Are you going to tell me what this is all about?" He asked softly. He knew Hermione never did anything without a reason, even when it came to sex. And he knew something had to be wrong.

"In the morning, but right now I really want you to lose all your inhibitions with me. I don't want you to hold back anything. Please. I want to know what it is like to have someone give me everything," she looked up at him and her eyes were big and full of emotion. In that second he knew what she needed and wanted, and he was even pretty sure he knew her motives. But he knew he could be the one to give her what she needed.

They didn't continue the conversation, their lips just met in a fervent kiss as he fully pressed his body against hers, holding her to the wall as her arms wrapped around him, desperately trying to bring their bodies even closer. He tugged at the waist of her black tight skirt and pulled it down over her hips, letting it fall unceremoniously to the floor as she stepped her high-heeled feet out of it and kicked it to the side. He pushed his trapped erection against her sex in her now damp panties and they rocked against each other, enjoying the teasing feeling of being so close yet so far from each other. With Sirius it felt like sneaking around—like the burning passion of a first real sexual experience—but without the awkwardness of being a teenager—it was just plain _sexy_. His lips moved their way down her neck and he sucked there, wanting to leave a mark, and his did it a few times until he clawed at the low cute top of her shit and pulled it down too expose her beautiful breasts in the black bra she was wearing. He kissed the soft, creamy mounds before exposing her nipples and sucking on each one until they were dark pink and pebbled.

Despite him taking control of her body, like he was used to, Hermione didn't stand by idly. She unbuttoned his shirt, pulling it off and over his shoulders and scratching her nails down his hard, tattooed chest that she had found herself dreaming about more than was probably normal. She traced her finger over his Azkaban prisoner number as he kissed her breasts. He touched her back as if he was a dying man and this was his last time ever being with a woman.

She only got to unbuckling his belt before he took back control and pinned her arms to the bookshelf, kissing her softer and slower than before. As much as he knew she wanted a fuck, and he could easily provide that, he wanted to make love to her in some way, and he conveyed that sensuality with the way his tongue explored the inside of her mouth without urgency. He sucked gently on her full bottom lip and breathed in her sweet scent as he kissed her so lovingly. Hermione got lost in the motions, momentarily forgetting the heady passion and soaking in the intimate kiss with Sirius.

But the man was always full of surprises and it didn't last very long. He released her arms and took off her shirt and bra, leaving her standing there in her tiny red panties. He grabbed the side of them and tugged sharply. The motion snapped against her skin as he ripped them off of her before taking them and putting them in his pants pocket. It was the second time she had seen him do that.

"Sirius, you are so kinky…" she half-giggled, have admonished him. He nipped at her lips again.

"Is that a problem?"

A few quick motions later they were both completely naked against the bookshelf. His hardness pressed up urgently on her thigh, but they were too busy taking a second to admire each other. The light in the library was on, albeit it was soft and glowy, but it was still in more light than he had ever seen her naked, and she was flawless. His eyes ran down her perfect skin, her full breasts and perfectly curvy hips. Her eyes were doing the same things. The chemistry between them had already been powerful, but now that love had been thrown into the mix, it was uncontrollable. Sirius placed one hand on her shoulder and the other clutched the skin just above her hip as he thrust up into her in one quick motion.

She was already so wet for him, and him filling her felt amazing as he paused before thrusting again, watching he eyes roll back ever so slightly as he kept himself buried inside of her before moving again. It was thrilling for him to finally be able with her explicit permission to fuck her in a way he had perfected, to show her exactly what she was getting into, and hoping she liked it.

He pulled out of her slightly and hoisted her up in his arms as she wrapped her legs around him. In one movement he pushed her back against the bookshelf so quickly that a few books tumbled off the shelf and onto the floor and shoved himself back inside of her.

"Sirius, _oh my God_…" she moaned and he quickened his pace, his hands all over her, giving her a sensory overload as his quick and powerful thrusts drove her crazy with desire for him. She bounced up and down in his arms on him, her breasts moving in that same motion—which drove Sirius mad with lust, him kneading them in his hands as she moaned his name over and over again. He knew she was close, and although he loved how responsive she was, he didn't want it to be over.

He bucked into her, reading her signs, feeling her contract around him before pulling out and whipping her around to face the bookshelf. He hard nipples rubbed against the old leather covers of the books as he grabbed her from behind; his head resting in her curls for a moment as he ran his hands down her back before giving her ass a hard smack. She groaned out in need and he spanked her again before pressing himself against her ass. He stayed there for a second, loving her little gasps at each movement as he reached around and fingered her with one hand, his other hand running up and down her overly sensitive body. She was dying, nearly shaking for release and he wanted it badly too.

"'Mione, I love you," his voice was so low as he said it, kissing her shoulder blade. He could see her smile as he looked up at her profile.

"Tell me you love me in the morning Sirius, but right now I don't want you to be nice," she admitted through breathy gasps as his finger curled inside of her, stroking places she had never realized could bring her so much pleasure. It had truly been one of her fantasies, to see Sirius like this completely in his element, and it made her fall for him even more. She appreciated the dark and light sides of both of her men, and she wanted to savor the moment.

He didn't need any more convincing. He withdrew his finger and replaced it with his cock, slamming into her while stroking her clit. It was a mixture of two rhythms and two different paces. His chest pressed against her back; her arching back into him, curls spilling over his shoulder as he held her there as they both froze.

"Merlin, _Sirius_…" she was gone. Coming twice as he spilled himself inside of her, barely able to hold her up as they both experienced the most incredible pleasure and release.

**00000**

"Sirius? Hermione?" Remus was up early the next morning. He had made himself some tea and was surprised to find neither of them in their rooms when he had awoken. He wiped the sleep out of his and figuring they had gone out for breakfast or something, made his way to the library to read. He loved the quiet time on the weekend mornings that afforded him that little luxury.

When he opened the door he didn't know whether to be angry or smile at the unexpected sweetness and future chance to give his best mate shit about it. Sirius and Hermione were curled up on the floor of the library under a blanket, sleeping. And by the messy level of the room with books on the floor, suddenly Remus had a sinking feeling that he needed to sanitize the furniture before he went back to reading in there.

**A/N: I know this chapter had like no plot, but it was some fun Sirius/Hermione time. I hope you liked it and please review!**


	16. All in One Morning

**A/N: Because I have some very Remus/Hermione centric posts coming up I decided to give Sirius and Hermione some more play time. Hope you like it Team Sirius! And everyone else too! BTW thanks for your awesome reviews!**

Sirius and Hermione woke at about the same time, both shifting around under the blanket in discomfort for different reasons. Sirius simply wasn't used to sleeping on anything other than his ridiculously plush bed and Hermione was startled by her massive headache. It was the worst hangover she had ever had.

"Mmm…good morning, love," Sirius stretched his arms out and groaned, trying to wake up. Hermione grimaced in pain as the light was starting to hit her eyes and she clutched to Sirius' chest, burying her head there, not wanting to move an inch.

"I feel like I am going to die," she whispered. Sirius laughed and even that small noise hurt her head.

"I'll be right back," he chuckled, getting up and she just curled up in a ball under the blanket in his absence. Sirius found his boxer briefs and slipped them on before walking out of the library and into the kitchen.

Remus was at the countertop, reading the Prophet, drinking tea, and eating some oatmeal with fruit. It never ceased to amaze Sirius that his best mate could be so decidedly domestic and boring sometimes. Sirius began rifling around in the cupboards looking for a hangover potion.

"Good morning. How was last night?" Remus asked with definite amusement in his voice, although he didn't look up from the paper.

"I had a nice time, but Hermione is in pain…" Sirius laughed, "Where are the bloody potions, _Merlin _Remus you know we have an issue with this…"

The werewolf laughed and Sirius turned to his friend, who was twirling the last bottle of the potion in his fingers, "I knew you'd come looking for it. I heard her stumble in in the middle of the night. Among other things."

Sirius took it gratefully, sauntering back into the library. He pulled the covers off of Hermione who squirmed and pleaded for them back, which just made him laugh harder. He handed her the little vial of potion and she swallowed it quickly. She was always amazed at how effective that particular potion was. Her headache was all but gone and she no longer felt like complete shit.

Sirius, noticing the instant change in her, got back down on the ground and cuddled up next to her, taking her in his arms. It wasn't something he ever thought he would willingly do, but he found he was surprising himself constantly.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened last night and why you so badly needed me to fuck you like that?" Sirius asked into her ear. The words weren't sensual and they sounded harsh coming out of his mouth, like he was uncomfortable saying it.

She wriggled in his arms, turning to face him. Her hangover was all but gone so she couldn't feign anything and avoid the question. But if she was being honest with herself, she had wanted to tell him all week.

With a heavy sigh, Hermione said, "Earlier this week, the night after you came and visited actually—Remus told me he loved me. But when we made love he was different. He almost didn't want to. And he said he was scared he'd be rough with me. I told him I wanted all of him, but he seemed so strange. And we've been a little off since."

"So that explains why you were practically dying for it. You wanted it from him, but you knew _I'd_ give it to you," Sirius said slowly and sadly. He felt like a knife was being twisted in his heart and he reminded himself that it was this very reason why he had decided to never love again 27 years ago.

"No, oh no Sirius that's not what…"

"Yes it is. We both know it is." He said it sharply, trying to mask his hurt. He closed his eyes for a moment; he didn't want to look at the beautiful goddess that was nearly breaking his heart.

"Sirius Black, stop it!" she rolled on top of him, pinning him to the floor so he would look at her, "I love you. And I mean that. I knew you would give me what I needed because you can open yourself up to me. You showed me this week that you can be a gentle, loving man—but also that you can really fulfill my deepest desires. I need both. And even though it might have stemmed from my annoyance with Remus, I am very very happy for what happened between us."

He looked at her for a moment, and he understood. It was just his natural instinct to not want to share, and he never had to before this. He also wasn't used to being the more giving one out of the two men. Remus usually won the role of romantic knight in shining armor and Sirius was perplexed at why the man was being so distant.

He had noticed it the afternoon before when they had returned together. He seemed drawn, and less happy that usual.

"I'm glad, Hermione," he smiled and kissed her and she rolled off of him and snuggled into the space where his arm met his chest. She fit there perfectly and Sirius thought it was all so damn cute that he could barely stomach it. But suddenly his thoughts drifted to something she had said.

"Remus said he was afraid he'd be rough with you?"

"Yeah, he said something about marking me. And I said I didn't mind if I had…"she stopped before the jealous look on Sirius' face grew any further. He calmed himself with a deep breath.

"He wants to mark you…" Sirius sighed.

Hermione touched the love bites trailing all the way down her neck and breasts, "And as you can tell…that isn't a problem," she flirted. He loved her teasing, even if she was taunting him with being given hickeys by another man.

"No, Hermione he wants to mark you as his mate," Sirius' voice was very authoritative. And he seemed clearly upset, "This isn't good…"

"What do you mean?"

"For a girl who's read every book in the Hogwarts library twice, I would have thought you would be aware of this…" Sirius said gruffly.

"Well I am not, so explain it to me. I've read my fair share of werewolf lore, and I don't know what this marking business is!" she raised her voice to the challenge of his. She hated when he put her in her place like that, and yet loved it at the same time.

"If a werewolf has the inclination to bite someone, it means he sees the other as his soul mate. The other might not necessarily feel the same; but for the wolf, the urge is very strong. Once a werewolf bites and marks…usually during the act of lovemaking, it doesn't change the other into a werewolf. It simply attaches them to the werewolf for life—a bond stronger than marriage. There can't exactly be a divorce, you see…" he explained, all the while Hermione was drinking in the information; curious and scared at the same time.

"So he's scared to really make love to me because he might lose control and mark me?"

"Precisely," Sirius told her, "And I for one, don't know how I feel about that. It's a scary thing to go toe to toe with a werewolf who wants to mark someone. But for you, I will."

"How do you know so much about this?" Hermione asked suddenly and Sirius' eyes darkened.

"It's happened before. Remus thought Dora was the one. He felt it for her too. And when he explained she ran…into the arms of…"

"Stop," Hermione told him and he did. She was panicked. She loved Remus. Truly, madly, and deeply. But she felt the same for Sirius. She didn't know how in the world it was possible, but they literally possessed two separate halves of her heart. As much as the thought of Remus marking her thrilled her, it also meant no more Sirius. And besides, that was a huge decision. She could understand why he had been distant.

"I need to talk to him about it," Sirius said.

"No…"

"_Yes_, because I know you aren't ready to start making any kinds of decisions. And because I care about him, and I don't want him to lose you. I'd rather help him if I can."

"You are a good man, Sirius, better than you think you are," she whispered to him, giving him a kiss before he got out from under the covers and stood up. He gave her a sweet smile as his brain filled with more than a few terrible outcomes to their current situation. He wished this could all be easier. But it was love, and that was never easy.

He settled instead for something he knew implicitly. Something, that especially with her, never disappointed him.

"I'm going to take a shower, care to join me?" he offered out his hand and she could easily see he was trying to ignore their current predicament for the time being, which she was quite okay with. She smiled and he pulled her naked body out from under the covers. They walked through the back door of the library which led directly out to the bedroom hallway instead of to the kitchen like the other door did. This way they were able to sneak into his room unnoticed, except for their laughing.

The bathroom attached to Sirius' bedroom was done up just as sumptuously. The towels were red and black with his initials monogrammed in gold thread on all of them. He pulled her into the rather large black tiled shower and it instantly enveloped them in a wonderful stream of perfectly heated water. They kissed under it and he pulled her closer to him, enjoying the new sensation of their bodies together under the water. Hermione had never had shower sex before, but she was more than pleased that she was kissing a sopping wet Sirius who, in no time at all, became raging hard for her once again. The man was insatiable.

And if she was being honest with herself, she was starting to become insatiable too.

He pressed her up against the tile which was cold in comparison to the water and kissed her softly, his fingers working into her wet hair and tracing trails of water that were snaking in between her breasts. He was right at her entrance, teasing her there and she reached down to stroke his long length in her hand as he nipped at her ear, tugging the lobe with his teeth before pushing her hand out of the way and sliding inside of her.

It was much slower than the night before. Although she was quite sore from that experience, this new feeling was intimate; with the water around them, beading on their eyelashes as they kissed, and his strong arms bracing her against the shower wall which was in all actuality big enough to be a walk in closet; and she loved it.

Sirius Black was making love to her. Maybe it wasn't in a bed, but it was damn good.

His hips moved deliciously slow, filling her as she rocked against him. It was one of the most sensual experienced of her life, and it was the first time she heard him moan. He had cussed during sex before, and called out her name, but he had never moaned like this. It was an addicting sound, and it turned Hermione on even more to know she had caused it to come out of his mouth.

She rolled her hips, allowing him to go deeper, but they were both in no rush. She felt her orgasm slowly building; but she knew she wanted this as long as she could stand it. The way he was touching her was soft and so different from the night before. Two sides of the same mad; both sides she loved.

He grunted and then groaned even louder as he slowly worked in and out of her, the sound of the water drowning out everything but their noises for each other and her fingers dug into his shoulders ever so slightly as she reached a new level of pleasure.

It was the longest they had ever gone. She had no idea how long they were in there, judging only from the wrinkles on the pads of her fingers and the steam filling the bathroom; she guessed an hour. But they didn't stop. They didn't want to. Anytime either of them came close he paused and kissed her till they were out of breath and they continued again. It was like they never wanted to leave each other's arms and it was like nothing else mattered but the two of them there in that moment.

Hermione felt so wanton and tortured by him, in the best way possible, and at last she felt herself clench around him. His breath quickened and this time he moaned her name…long, drawn-out, and slow as he came inside of her. She succumbed to it seconds later; her world quaking around her in an amazing orgasm.

**00000**

The little black owl was pecking on the window of the sun room. It was thoroughly annoying Lupin who was trying his best to ignore the tantric moans coming from Sirius' bedroom and finish the paper. But when the owl didn't leave, he was forced to open the sun room windows to the balcony, which was the only place they could really receive owl correspondence. He gave the little bugger a bit of a biscuit and took the attached letter, ripping it open as he walked back inside.

When he saw the handwriting, he blanched and almost dropped it. And then he almost ripped it up into a thousand little pieces. But something inside of him willed him to read it. He didn't know if it was his anxiety about Hermione, or the jealousy that was hard to contain as he had listening to them having sex twice in the past eight hours—but he read it.

_-Dear Remus,_

_Ron and I have broken up. I realized that I left to most special man in the world for someone that wasn't quite as much of a challenge, but in the end he just wasn't you. I know I said some awful things, but I really hope you can forgive me and we can put all of this past us. I made the worst mistake of my life and I promise you that I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Let's please get together and talk about this?_

_- Love you for always, Dora._

**A/N: UH OH! Tonks is back! So please leave me a review. I have been super sad that I haven't been getting as many…and I can withhold posts…I'm just kidding I would never be so cruel…but seriously haha.**


	17. Skeeter and Sirius

**A/N: YES! I got a ton of reviews! Haha I was sooo excited. You guys are amazing. And don't worry—I'm not withholding posts (obviously) enjoy! Oh-and because of all your reviews I can safely tell you that no…Tonks and Remus will not be getting back together (because I simply don't like her and I don't feel it is ruining any of my plot to tell you this). But I can't promise that both men won't be getting a lot of trouble handed to them from former flames. **

After the shower, Hermione changed into a black tank top and a pair of dark jeans. They weren't hers though; they were brand new and she was becoming increasingly amused at how new clothes seemed to randomly appear in her closet. She made a mental note to talk about it with Sirius before she went to find Remus.

He was sitting in the living room on his favored half of the long leather couch. She couldn't help but immediately crawl into his lap and hug him.

"_Finally_," he smiled at her as he rubbed his nose against hers and she grinned at the sweet little gesture.

"I missed you."

"And I you…" Remus held her close to him, taking in the clean scent of her skin after the shower.

"And as much as I am thrilled that my two favorite people are reunited, we need to put your grotesquely adorable cuddling session on hold for a moment," Sirius' voice interrupted their moment as he strode into the living room looking all business even though he was just wearing a pair of jeans and a faded grey shirt. He flopped onto the opposite end of the couch; revealing his childishly playful side for a moment before giving the couple a stern stare.

"What is so important that you feel the need to interrupt my time with my love?" Remus asked, clearly agitated. Hermione cuddled up closer to the werewolf, her fingers absently playing with the ends of his sandy brown hair.

"Ah, Remus…always a step ahead of me." Sirius smiled and Hermione just rolled her eyes, clearly knowing the direction this conversation was headed.

"You've had her since we've been back!"

"Correction, Ginny occupied her for most of the night…" Sirius continued, and their bickering was driving Hermione up the wall.

"Enough boys! This is so immature of both of you. I refuse to fight about the time I spend with either of you. I try my best but sometimes life just happens—and to be completely honest, I spend more time with both of you than I ever did with Ron," Hermione said and both men were a little taken aback by the fact that she had willingly brought her ex up in conversation.

"You lived with him too…"Sirius reminded her, testing the waters.

"Yes, but he had a full time job. Unlike you, Sirius. And I didn't work with him either," she said, turning to Remus, "It's getting a bit much. I know it is unconventional, but sometimes I just want to be the girl that just happens to have two boyfriends and doesn't have to fight with them about fighting over me!" she stood up from Remus' lap.

"Where are you going?" Lupin asked, looking up at her like a lost little soul.

"To make myself breakfast…see, I can't go anywhere without the two of you questioning it!" she huffed and clomped her feet purposefully into the kitchen, making sure she opened and closed the cupboard doors loudly.

Sirius was floored. He had thought they had a wonderful morning. And now she was flying around the flat yelling at them. Remus looked just as shocked.

"It's impossible for the three of us to have a normal conversation together anymore," Remus sighed, "Look, Pads, I know you were trying to figure some things out that honestly need to be—"

"Yeah, that disintegrated quickly," Sirius rubbed his temples and tried to ignore the angry banging about Hermione was still doing in the kitchen, "Moony, I know you want to mark her, and we need to talk about it sooner or later. With her or without her."

Remus lowered his eyes. He remembered a very similar conversation happening about 6 months ago. But obviously, this one was more high-stakes between the two best friends.

"It's different this time. It is much, much stronger," Remus sighed, closing his eyes instead of looking at the disappointed Sirius, who in all honesty was afraid the werewolf would say that.

"How hard is it to control?"

"Hard. Sex is out of the question for me. The last time…I almost lost it. And I couldn't stand to make a mistake and force her into a life with me…" his scarred face looked so solemn as he said it.

"Any girl would be lucky to be with you for the rest of their lives. And besides that, I think the reason Hermione is so pissy is because you will barely touch her!"

"Well, I can't risk anything Pads…"

"What if…" Sirius began and the tone of his voice was both dark and curious. Lupin caught on immediately. It was something they had both initially considered, but pushed out of their minds when they had fallen separately in love with her.

"No." Remus shook his head, "There's too much between all of us now. Sex with all three of us could be disastrous."

Sirius considered it, there was a high possibility that Hermione would never agree to it, and after all, there was only one reason Sirius had brought it up, "But she wants you, and I can make sure nothing happens—that you don't mark her."

Remus looked like he was starting to contemplate it. The idea both thrilled and scared both of them, but they were shaken from their thoughts when Hermione came back into the living room holding a bowl of oatmeal with berries. Sirius couldn't help but crack a smile that her breakfast habits matched Remus'. He himself was more of an eggs, bacon, and chocolate chip pancakes man.

"How was taking your anger out on the kitchen, my dear?" Remus asked, kissing her forehead.

"Helpful, actually," she said curtly, and both men could tell she was in a rare mood.

Suddenly, the phone rang in the apartment. It startled all three of them, and since she had never heard it, Hermione forgot they even had a muggle phone. Sirius got up and answered it after a few rings.

"Shit…are you serious?" his voice had turned from joking around with them to arrogant and angry, "Yes, send him up first…alone. Then wait ten minutes and send her up… Yes, yes give her the code and after she's in the lift immediately change it to 0919…do you understand? Good…"

Hermione and Remus exchanged concerned looks, but she couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat when he told whoever he was speaking to to change the penthouse code to her birthday…which immediately after made her stomach turn as she realized the big event was in two weeks' time. She always hated her birthday because she hated the attention being on her.

Sirius hung up and looked exhausted just from the phone conversation, "Apparently there is a bit of a media riot downstairs. Our hideaway has been leaked to the press and it's a mess down there. Thank _Merlin_ Tom down there at the front desk is one of us or this would be a huge disaster."

Sirius paced around the living room until there was a knock on the door. He disappeared and then re-appeared into the living room with a shell-shocked Harry.

"You are all lucky the people in the lobby think one of you is a British movie star and not a bloody wizard," Harry stated immediately. He looked like he had been jostled about, "I just wanted to come and ask Hermione if she wanted to come to Molly's for dinner and I show up and the place is crawling with people from all the tabloids—and Skeeter…"

"That's right, Rita's back on the Prophet's payroll…_fuck_," Remus rolled his eyes. Hermione put the pieces together and realized that the person that would be heading up after Harry—the person Sirius wanted the key code changed for—was Rita Skeeter. She wanted an interview. The brunette took her cue and went and fetched her jacket and bag, returning ready to leave with Harry.

"Go on Remus, you can go too…"Sirius told him. As much as the animagus didn't want to face the nosiest witch in the world alone, he knew that it was better off if she wasn't making rude slurs at Remus for being a werewolf. She was very prejudiced in that way, always had been. This wasn't their first round with Skeeter.

"Thanks, Pads, I actually have an errand to run. And I owe you," Lupin added, standing up. He took off his heavier jacket, placing it on the coat rack by the door and just leaving on his lighter blazer.

"You owe me more time with my girlfriend…" Sirius finished the deal and as Hermione blushed, Remus nodded in agreement. All three of them said their goodbyes and walked out of the front door. Two _'pops'_ later and Sirius knew they were all gone.

Rita Skeeter knocked on the door obnoxiously and he waited a few long minutes before he picked himself up on the couch to get it. He turned on the aristocratic side of him that he tried to only use on rare occasions but this time forgot all about hospitality and politeness. She clicked in on towering heels in a disgusting chartreuse ensemble as Sirius purposefully neglected to offer her anything to drink and flopped back down on the leather couch, leaving her to the chair in the corner of the living room.

"Half an hour. That's it. And everyone gets out of the fucking lobby or I will make sure you never have a job in journalism ever again, do I make myself clear?" Black growled, but she looked unperturbed. She just flourished her magicked quill and smiled her snarky, snake-like smile. She looked so much older, and she wasn't aging well. Her face that she had obviously tried to glamour with spells looked positively horrific.

"Always so generous Mr. Black…or can I call you Sirius?" she purred.

"Mr. Black," he deadpanned and she huffed a bit, adjusting the hem of her dress.

"Well then, _Mr. Black_…as I am sure you are well aware, everyone is clamoring for an interview with you since you are no longer single…and I was hoping that Miss Granger would be here…"

"She's out."

"Ah, well, too bad. So how long has this torrid affair of your and Miss Granger's gone on? A year? Two? I've heard three…"

"If I hear the word 'torrid' one more time I will put you in a body bind curse and leave you here while I go into town for lunch," he rolled his eyes at her and she changed her tactic.

"So, you wouldn't describe your relationship with Miss Granger as tumultuous? We all know you have quite the temper. And since she broke poor Weasley's heart…" Skeeter tut-tutted, jotting something down.

"Pardon?"

"She broke up with Ron Weasley, for you."

"If we are going to do this fucking farce of an interview you are going to do it right. And I will check, and if one fact is wrong or misconstrued my prior threat stands. Now let me make it clear that Ronald Weasley broke up with her. And we did not start seeing each other till after that time." Sirius was at the edge of his temper, the one thing he couldn't deny he had.

"I've also heard rumors that Miss Granger and you have a very open relationship?"

"Meaning…?"

"Meaning she is sleeping with one Remus John Lupin—Professor of Defense at Hogwarts where she is currently employed. Also a werewolf and your best friend from your Hogwarts years…" Rita looked up at him from over her horn rimmed glasses. He had quite forgotten that the bitch new everything about everyone.

"That is false. Remus lives here with me and Hermione. But there is nothing going on," his tone was deathly serious. The last thing he wanted was a man-hunt on his best friend.

"And the sex?"

Sirius nearly choked.

"Mr. Black, inquiring minds need to know if Miss Granger _really is that good in bed_…" her smile was positively evil.

"Personal questions only. My girlfriend speaks for herself, I don't speak for her and I will not comment on her sexual prowess," Sirius stated but he couldn't help but give Rita a loaded wink.

"_Girlfriend_…interesting," she hummed, "Mr. Black do you find that giving up your life of excess has rendered you any less of a man?"

"What the _fuck_ kind of question is that?" he roared. He was really getting very irritated. His eyes were glued on the clock, and the time wasn't moving fast enough.

"A personal one, like you asked."

"I like to think I have changed from the man I once was…"

"Is that so? Because only three months ago you were seen leaving one of your more favored whore houses with a girl on your arm. And that was only a little bit before Miss Granger, was it not?"

"Weeks before."

"But still…. It's hardly been enough time to really say you've renounced your old ways. After all, you've been like this since your last girlfriend Marlene…"

Sirius stood up from the couch, towering over Rita, "OUT. Time's up, interview is over!"

"Ohh, touched a nerve did I?" she simpered, standing up and putting away her notepad and quill.

"If you so much as publish anything other than a fluffy, romantic piece about Hermione and I, I would sleep with one eye open Skeeter," he warned her as he ushered her out of the room.

"It's threats like that that got you locked up in the first place Black," she smiled up at him in an unnerving way.

"_Out_." He said once again, slamming the door in her face.

**A/N: Like all love stories, there will be ups and downs. And the next few chapters are going to be trying for our two lovely men and the wonderful Hermione. So let's just all hold hands and stick with them as they get through it. This story isn't even close to being over, so I hope you all are with me for the long haul. Reviews welcomed!**


	18. Little Talks

**A/N: Hey readers, old and new, silent and talkative: just wanted to say I love all of you. And I truly hope you are enjoying this story as much as I am enjoying writing it. I also want to remind you that in this story since Sirius and Remus aren't dead, Fred isn't either. Enjoy!**

"Where is my damn bank card?" Sirius was beside himself after Rita Skeeter had left the flat. He wondered if he had said too much, or if the whole situation could have been avoided altogether. He knew Hermione would probably be angry with him when the article came out, and he was thoroughly regretting letting that pest of a woman into his apartment. But he knew if it wasn't her it would be another eventually.

He was literally trashing the living room looking for his money clip with his Gringotts' bank card so that he could go down to Diagon Alley and blow a sizeable amount of his account on anything and everything. He admitted that he could be a bit of a woman sometimes, because when he was angry like this – shopping helped.

And shopping for Hermione also made his mood cheer up considerably.

However, he couldn't find it, or for the life of him remember where he placed it last, and with Remus gone and Hermione at the Burrow, he had no one to help him look. He started digging through the jacket pockets on the coat rack and at the bottom of one of the pockets he felt a piece of paper.

He pulled out the tightly folded piece of parchment and realized he had accidently taken it from Remus' coat, and it certainly wasn't his bank card. He was about to stuff the little piece back where he found it, but an overwhelming sense of curiosity got the better of him.

He deviously wondered if it was a love note Hermione wrote to him that he had been carrying around and he unfolded it quickly. However, upon reading the short letter over again twice, he wished he hadn't snooped.

Sirius put the letter back into Remus' jacket pocket and retreated to his favorite chair in the library, which had as of late become his pondering spot for the unusual situations that were unfolding around him. But this particular turn didn't require pondering so much as Sirius feeling hurt and betrayed for both himself and Hermione.

Remus had promised Black that he would never go back to her. And now suddenly he had taken off on a mysterious 'errand' and there was the traitorous letter in his pocket. He was sure Remus had not instigated it, but he no longer trusted his whorish cousin and knew Hermione would be positively devastated if she found out – or worse if she came back to the flat later that night and Remus told her he was back with Tonks.

Sirius wracked his brain trying to think of where Remus would offer to meet her. He desperately wanted to interfere, to yell at both of them, especially her.

**00000**

"Thanks for meeting me, Remus."

It took him by surprise when she said his name as they both sat down in a little muggle coffee shop near the edge of the city. She had offered him to come by her new flat, but he suggested meeting in a more neutral ground. And it had to be a muggle place since the last thing he wanted was pictures of the two of them in the Prophet.

"I just wanted to hear you out, that's all," he said noncommittally. He looked at her for the first time in a long time. She was smiling from ear to ear, that goofy smile he had once found so attractive and endearing. Her hair was dark and long, and she had bangs. It looked like she was using her metamorphagus abilities to give her a boost in the beauty department, unlike her previous quirky style. Remus just chalked it up to her trying too hard.

"I'm so glad, it's so good to see you again," she gushed, reaching out to hold his large, calloused and scarred hands over the table but he gently recoiled. He wondered if this was even a good idea.

"Can you please explain to me why you agreed to cheat on me with Ron? Why you said 'yes' knowing he was in a relationship with Hermione and you were in a very, very serious one with me?" Lupin was angry now; the hurt of their final breakup was welling up inside of him again. He had never understood it.

She looked at him sadly, "Remus you wanted to mark me. It just came out of the blue…"

"We were together for _years_, you had to have known I wanted some kind of commitment…for Merlin's sake I asked you to marry me _twice_ and you refused. And you know bloody well I can't control who I want to mark, otherwise I certainly wouldn't have told you," he relayed sadly, memories running through his mind of the times she had rejected him and then run back to him begging for forgiveness. This wasn't the first time for that.

"I was stupid and scared Remus, I hadn't really dated anyone outside of you and Ron was just an opportunity to experience something different. I just needed to spend some time apart from you to realize that you are all I ever need," she looked up at him with her large eyes that were so full of what he assumed was well-practiced sincerity. He looked away from her.

"I don't believe it."

"Remus, please…I want you, I want to get married, to have you mark me, to have children with you. I was so blind, and so stupid. You are such an amazing man, and I feel so terrible that I hurt you," she apologized.

He studied her face, and he could read her well enough to know she honestly believed what she was saying, but there was no guarantee that what had happened before wouldn't happen again. There was a long period of time when he had wanted to grow old with Tonks, but she was no longer the centerpiece of that fantasy.

"I wish you would have felt that when I asked you to marry me, I truly do. You and Ron have hurt a lot of people, all for some bloody idiotic fling that barely lasted a few months!" he said sternly to her, not wanting to draw too much more attention to them in the small café.

"But maybe this is a second chance! After all, Ron really wants to be with Hermione and I really want to be with you. Everything can go back to how it's supposed to be. Just ask me again Remus, please, just ask me to be yours…"

Remus paused, there were seven words that caught his attention and everything else Tonks just said flew out the window, "Wait, Ron wants to be with Hermione?"

Tonks looked at him like he was crazy, "Yes, yes he does. He knows he made a mistake. That she's not for you and I'm not for him…this was all just a little bump in the road…"

"You cheating on me is not a bloody 'bump in the road' Dora," he bit his lip, trying his best to control his anger. He couldn't believe both her and Ron were so flippant about the whole thing, thinking that something like this could be resolved with a few sweet words.

"I am so truly sorry Remus. I've changed." She was begging him, her full lips pouting as she looked up at him. He avoided her eyes the best he could.

"I am in love with someone else now, and nothing is going to change that fact."

"You can't possibly be saying you are in love with Granger?! She's twenty years your junior. That's just not right Remus…" Tonks looked physically ill.

"And you are ten years mine, so what's another decade? Honestly Dora, age means nothing. Love can transcend that," he said and the sweet, pleading look on her face started to harden.

"She's not meant for you…I mean, for Merlin's sake if she can't even be with you exclusively, isn't that just the same as cheating? So you won't take me back but you will put up with that shit from her?" she argued.

It hurt Remus to hear that, he knew that to everyone else he looked like a cad. And Hermione must look like a bit of a whore to everyone who didn't know the situation. But he really didn't feel like explaining the whole thing to Tonks and expecting her to understand that from even the most bizarre circumstances can come life-changing love. He knew that his and Tonks' love wasn't life-changing, it had just changed.

"I think it's best if we leave," he said softly and stood up from the table, walking outside of the small café. He didn't really care if she followed him or not, but she had and he felt her presence besides him after a few seconds.

"She's going to choose Sirius, you told me yourself every other girl you've ever been with has left you for him," she whispered and it cut him deeply. That was something he had been trying to come to terms with for years. And it hadn't happened in two decades. Sirius had apologized. There was no anger between the two men, but Lupin's insecurities had remained. And she was playing into them. He tried to ignore her.

"It's her choice. But I am madly in love with her," he sighed, putting his hands into the pockets of his trousers. He just wanted to be done with all of this. He wished he had never played her little game and come in the first place.

She turned quickly and her hands were on his cheekbones, pulling him down to her lips forcefully. The kiss only lasted a second before Remus pushed her off of him coldly.

"Stay away from me Dora, I don't want you," he told her. He had never been so blunt with a woman. He had never felt strong enough to take a stand. Usually he took girls back because he felt there was nothing better out there for him. But not this time.

"I need you," she breathed.

"Goodbye, Dora," he told her with a look of hard finality before disappearing into the alleyway next to the coffee shop. The traffic on the street all but completely obliterated the sound of him dissaparating.

**00000**

"This is going to be the most awkward dinner of my life, isn't it?" Hermione groaned as she, Harry, and Ginny stood on the front steps of the Burrow.

"Yes," Ginny giggled, clearly amused at her best friend's discomfort.

"It will be fine, I just wanted you to see everyone, to get out of that flat for a little while. And I for one miss you." Harry told her, giving her a pointed look that clearly told her that all of them thought she was spending way too much time with the last remaining Marauders.

Seconds later Molly Weasley flung open the door and took her daughter into a large hug, attacking her son-in-law (who in reality was truly just a son to her) next and then grabbing Hermione's shoulders and appraising her at arm's length for a moment before drawing her into a tight hug as well.

"Come in, come in! Everyone's here, dinner's almost ready!" she smiled at all of them and the trio went into the homey living room where the rest of the Weasley clan was gathered, sans Ron, which Hermione was endlessly grateful for.

Hermione went immediately to Angelina Johnson; Fred's wife, who was holding their brand new baby in her arms. She felt awful that with the break up and her new job, she hadn't had a chance to properly congratulate either of them.

"She's gorgeous," Hermione said, holding the baby's hand as Angie rocked her back and forth in her arms. Fred sidled over to them, beaming like the proud new father he was.

"Her name's Aislinn," Fred grinned. It was a pretty name for the sweetest little bundle in her mother's arms.

"I'm so happy for you both," Hermione gave them hugs. She hated to admit it, but since her and Ron had broken up she had really distanced herself from the Weasley's. And she missed them all dearly.

"And we'll be next…" Katie Bell, George's wife piped up.

"Yeah, we've been trying…she's keeping me up all night this one…" George pointed to his laughing bride and the atmosphere in the room was just plain happy. Hermione looked around at all the couples in the room. Charlie and his wife Melissa and their two little ones; Bella and Jack, Percy and his fiancée Claire from the Ministry, Bill and Fleur and their two angelic twin girls Rose and Elana, the Twins and their wives and the new little one for Fred, and Harry and Ginny of course.

She was the only single one now. Of course she had used to fit right in with Ron as her boyfriend. But now, she just felt like she stood out.

"And I've heard you've been kept up all night by my drinking mate," Fred smiled down at Hermione, obviously referring to Sirius.

"And we also heard that the halls of Hogwarts aren't as quiet as they used to be, if you know what I mean…" George continued.

Hermione was fairly sure she was crimson by this point and Harry had thankfully jumped in to pull her from the rather awkward conversation. He told the twins to screw themselves and lead Hermione over to the staircase that lead up the many floors of the Burrow to the bedrooms. They sat on the bottom step together.

"I miss you. I miss having you as my best friend. Ron and I never see each other anymore, and I never see you now that you are a little preoccupied with my Godfather and my old Dark Arts Professor," Harry sighed with a twinge of brotherly jealousy.

"I miss you too Harry, I talked to both of them today, and I told them that I really needed some space to get back to doing the things that I love to do. This all just took me by surprise, you know…and I know you're mad, Ginny told me…"

"I'm not mad, just worried. I know Remus won't hurt you. And I know Sirius will love you fiercely. That's not the problem. The problem is dating them at the same time," Harry looked at her with concern.

"I'm starting to gather that it's becoming an issue, actually," she admitted. They weren't jealous per say, more possessive than anything, and anxious for time with her. And she was still not a bit closer to making a choice. She loved them both so deeply.

"What do you truly want 'Mione? Let me help," he took her hand in his.

"I want them both. I need them both Harry; you don't understand I am so confused. I can hardly sleep anymore. It's just one emotion after another constantly!" he could see a tear form in her eye as she sad it but suddenly Ginny made an unpleasant yelping noise and they turned to see that Ron had just walked through the door to the Burrow and he was very much alone.

**A/N: A little change of pace with this chapter, but they do all have separate things going on that I thought it was time to explore. Review please, as always! I love reading them!**


	19. Mornings

**A/N: Sorry it's been a little while…so I made this one extra long! And the end of this chapter is rated M for a reason, and I hope you guys all like why!**

"Sirius?" Remus called out to the empty flat when he returned home. He was emotionally drained and confused. The brief kiss with Dora had thrown him for a loop; and although he was sure that he didn't love his ex anymore—there were still some issues that he was trying to deal with. Many of them involved the fact that Ron might be inclined to get back together with Hermione.

The obsidian-haired man was sitting stiffly on the couch in the living room and didn't look up when Remus entered. He was surrounded by shopping bags from the finest shops Diagon Alley had to offer. At least two dozen of them.

"Have a nice afternoon Pads?" Remus chuckled, knowing full well how the animagus could be when let loose with money to burn, "have anything to tell me?"

Sirius turned a moody look to his best friend, "Do _you_ have anything to tell me?" he asked, turning the question to Remus who blanched and stammered.

"N-no..nothing, why?" he tried to say as casually as possible, hoping that as he shifted his weight nervously from one foot to the other he wouldn't give away his anxiety. _Did he know?_

Sirius didn't speak for a moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a crumpled piece of parchment, smoothing it out and setting it on the other couch cushion. It was Tonk's note.

"Now do you?" Sirius asked again and Remus suddenly had a very hard time swallowing as fear and embarrassment gripped him.

"I can explain…"

"I've packed your trunk for you. Feel free to make Hogwarts your permanent home. Hermione can stay here with me and you can have my twit of a cousin and make your little mutant babies and be done with it!" Sirius yelled at Remus, jumping off the couch and pointing his wand at the werewolf's adam's apple to show just how intent he was. He felt momentarily awful for the words he used, but couldn't help how angry he was.

Remus shoved his armed hand out of the way, "If you would just listen to me for one goddam minute you would know that I have no intention of getting back with Tonks alright?"

"Then what is this?" Sirius picked up the now ripped letter and waved it in Remus' face manically.

"It was a mistake, I shouldn't have gone," he lowered his voice in a reply, massaging his temples and sinking into the couch cushion where the offending letter was previously sitting.

"Damn right you shouldn't have, what is Hermione going to think?"

"She isn't going to find out. We all have baggage Pads—you should know that more than anyone. If you had a chance to talk to—"

"Shut up, this isn't about me." Sirius growled and crossed his arms, "You fucking kissed her didn't you?"

Remus rolled his eyes, giving him a look that conveyed the truth of the matter and his best friend groaned.

"But _she_ initiated it, I told her I wanted her to leave me alone but it was bloody hard to see her. I don't feel anything like that, but I'm still hurt," Lupin said and Sirius was slowly starting to retreat from his witch hunt and understand that his friend didn't always view things in the decidedly black and white manner that he did. With Remus there were always infinite shades of grey.

It was a point of contention often between them.

"There's something else Pads…"

Sirius saw a fleeting look of scared-shitlessness on Remus' face for a second and knew that whatever was to come out of his mouth next wasn't going to make him very happy.

"It was a mutual break-up. Dora wants me back and Ron wants her back. Badly, apparently. Like '_do anything to get her back' _badly," Remus sighed. Sirius had thought right—this wasn't what he wanted to hear at all.

"But she wouldn't…"

"She was with him for 6 years Sirius, she's only been with us about a month. As much as I would like to think, we don't have as much hold on her."

Both men were quiet for a few moments, each of them thinking about their time with Hermione up until this very point. The moments they shared and the moments they had said they had loved her. She had said it back. But did it mean all they thought? Or were they both a package-deal rebound?

"Sometimes I really wish we had Snivellus around…because my Legillimens is shit and there are questions that I would really, really like answers to right about now," Sirius finished, taking Tonk's letter and throwing it into the fireplace before walking to the kitchen to get a drink.

**00000**

"_Ron?"_

"_Ron!"_

"_Shit…"_

"_Get OUT of this house!"_

"_Molly…dear…careful!"_

It had all happened so fast after the youngest Weasley boys' appearance. Mostly everyone was stunned, and some were happy to see that he was alive and well after his necessary self-imposed isolation with Tonks. And no one expected him to be without the bubblegum-haired witch he left Hermione for.

Molly was the angriest, grabbing her wand and threatening to hex her own son right out of the Burrow. Arthur was currently trying to hold her back from stunning him into last week. She thought of Hermione as a daughter, and as much as she loved her son; the matriarch of the family had never been a fan of Dora and was grossly disappointed that he had left the 'witch who could do no wrong in her eyes' for a metamorphagus who had always been known as a cheater.

Ron held up his hands in surrender, trying to show his family that he meant no harm, though most of them thought he was rather bold to crash a family dinner that he had since been banned from.

His eyes met with Hermione's and she immediately turned away, holding onto Harry tightly for support, feeling her best friend shake with rage as he held her.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked. She had never heard him speak so coldly to his best mate, but she had to admit she didn't mind. There was a string of expletives she was dying to spew at him herself.

"Can 'Mione and I have a minute alone?" he asked gently. The entire Burrow was quiet for the first time in years and years—maybe even ever. No one moved and breathing was done on an absolute necessity only basis. No one wanted to miss anything.

Harry looked down at Hermione who had her head buried in his shoulder, "What do you want?" he whispered. She honestly didn't know. The last time she saw him he was walking out of her new, shared apartment after being hexed by her and yelled at by Sirius. He had called her a whore and had insulted Sirius. It was just too much.

"Make him leave," she whispered desperately to Harry. She was a Gryffindor and proud of her bravery. She was proud of the things she had done in the second war, but she felt she had every right in the world to ignore him for the time being.

"It's time for you to go," Ginny stepped in, hating to see her best friend so upset and not caring about any asinine explanation he might have. They had all been having such a wonderful time and he had shown up and ruined it.

"But please, Dora and I broke up…"

There was a hiss around the room as everyone sucked in breath as her name was mention. As far as the Weasley family was concerned—Dora and Tonks were dirty words. Harry felt Hermione's hand clench the extra fabric of his shirt.

Thoughts were flying through her head, and that was mostly the reason she couldn't bring herself to look at him. She still had feelings for Ron, she probably always would. He was her first love, and she had been so betrayed. And now he walked in here saying his scandalous relationship was done with and probably wanting her back and she couldn't handle that. All she really wanted was to be cuddled up with one or both of her boys and being blissfully ignorant to the whole thing.

She knew it was slightly cowardly, but if he wasn't going to leave, she had to. She detached herself from Harry so she wouldn't take him along and disapparated back to the apartment.

**00000**

"How was the interview?" Hermione looked up at Sirius and asked him with a sweet, sleep-filled voice. When she arrived home she found both him and Remus playing Wizard's Chess in the library and placed a cushion at Sirius' feet so that she could sit there and lean her head back in his lap and also watch Remus scrunch up his face adorably in concentration at the same time.

She had also feigned tiredness from the Weasley gathering and was mum about details, not mentioning that Ron had shown up at all; faking it so well that she was now actually sleepy as she gazed up at the shaggy Maurader during their fourth game.

"Oh, I'm sure it will be a bunch of bullshit," he said distractedly, taking a pawn from Remus. They had both seemed distracted and quiet since she had come home, but then again—she was too.

"How's the new baby?" Remus asked, gnawing on his lip as he plotted his next move.

"Perfect, she's stunning really," Hermione smiled about baby Aislinn, her eyes fluttering softly as sleep started to really overcome her. Her head lolled back a little onto Sirius' lap.

"Alright, time for bed darling," Remus laughed, getting up from his chair and putting the chess board away with a sweep of his wand.

"Whose bed do you want tonight?" Sirius asked and she just patted him on the leg to give her answer. He picked her up in his arms and carried her half over his shoulder so that he could give Remus a meaningful look.

The werewolf looked saddened, but he knew that it was his own fault for being so distant with her since the thoughts of marking her had come up. And now today with Tonks…he really needed to sit down with her and have a talk. _Tomorrow_, he thought, _I'll do it tomorrow_.

They all said their goodnights and Remus went to his room as Sirius carried the drowsy Hermione, who was finding that being faux lazy was really helping her to cope with the nights events, into his room and laid her down on his bed.

She grinned as he helped her out of her clothes and she wriggled suggestively. Sirius knew full well what she was doing. He gave her a small swat on the arse.

"Little minx get under the covers," he ordered. He knew they weren't going to make love and he wanted her naked body covered up before he could no longer control himself. She scrambled under the silky red sheets and he curled up next to her. He still wasn't used to this feeling of just sleeping with a beautiful witch, but it wasn't unwelcomed. He would even go so far as to say he really enjoyed it and they both fell into a dreamless sleep quickly.

The next morning Remus awoke earlier than he usually did. He found he could hardly sleep since he was plagued with thoughts of the impending conversation with Hermione. He was clad only in dark navy plaid pyjama bottoms that hung off his svelte hips and his hair was deliciously messy. His eyes were droopy from lack of sleep and his stomach growled out for food as he realized he hadn't had much the previous day. On his way to the kitchen he inevitably passed by Sirius' bedroom and found the door just slightly ajar.

Being nosy and deciding that since he had been interrupted once that he owed Sirius the same punishment, he poked his head in.

His friend was awake, watching the tiny brunette sleep. Padfoot caught Moony's eye and beckoned him into the bedroom. For a moment, the werewolf froze, contemplating what was about to happen. The look on Sirius' face told him to trust him, that it was indeed _time_.

Remus couldn't really argue…he needed Hermione more than anything and Sirius would help keep her safe if he couldn't control the wolf within. But it was something more that they both needed-it was a need to keep her to themselves after the knowledge that Ron wanted her back. They could do it better together than they could separately.

With a deep breath, Remus padded across the floor of Sirius' room and slowly crawled into bed on the other side of Hermione. There was easily enough room for three people, which Remus knew had served Sirius well on many a night years ago when his debauchery was at its peak. Despite their less-than-gentlemanly intentions with her they both took a moment to cuddle with her.

Sirius hugged the sleeping form of Hermione from the front and Remus spooned her from behind. It was a combination of his arousal on her arse and Sirius' soft kisses to her forehead that brought her to the land of the living.

It took her a fraction of a second to figure out what was going on, and when they saw she didn't panic, Sirius kissed her hard to make sure she couldn't second guess anything. As he continued kissing her, Remus kissed up the back of her neck and then down her naked back. Each kiss along the slightly pronounced bones of her spine made her squirm under him in a growing sense of need until he reached the dip of her lower back and took his hand, gently cupping her ass with it.

It didn't surprise Remus that either of them was naked. Sirius had always slept like that and he guessed she was growing accustomed to it. He shimmied off his pyjama pants, throwing them discreetly onto the floor, before pressing his already throbbing erection back against her.

Sirius was unbelievably grateful that his bossy little know-it-all was not making a peep in regards to this unlikely morning surprise, only satisfied little moans. His deft hands worked their way over her perky breasts, tweaking her nipples sharply to elicit a sharp gasp from her before trailing down her soft stomach to her wetness.

"You are so wet for us Hermione," he whispered. He truthfully never thought he would say that. He didn't do threesomes with other men—but he could trust Remus—_hell he had fucked Remus_. It was different, "Feel her Moony…"

Remus cupped her sex from behind, inserting one long finger into her as she bucked against him in need. She was thoroughly wanton and he pumped the finger in and out of her a few times before slipping out and putting the wet finger into his mouth to taste her.

"_Exquisite_."

Sirius could see the burn in his friends' eyes for her, but the wolf wasn't present yet and he felt like he was having a harder time controlling himself. There were so many depraved things he wanted to do to her now that they were in this situation, but he didn't want to push her too far.

Sirius rolled her over towards Remus who met her in a passionate kiss and within seconds pulled her on top of him, sliding his length into her. It was exactly what Sirius had wanted and he was slightly off-put that the sight of his best friend fucking his girlfriend would turn him on. But it did. However, an overwhelming sense of jealousy soon kicked in and Sirius knew that this had to be a one-time arrangement for the sake of his pride, if nothing else.

Remus pumped into her fast and hard as she cried out for him, rolling her hips as she bounced on and off of him. Sirius stroked himself at the visual, but at the same time watched carefully to make sure Remus wouldn't do anything he would regret. He was getting very primal with her, and the wolf was now burning in his eyes, but he was under control.

Selfishly, Sirius couldn't let his friend have the release, taking Hermione off of him and sheathing himself inside of her quickly. It was an intimate position, her sitting on his lap with her legs wrapped around his back and her chest pressed to his. It was Remus' turn to have the show, and to calm down a bit as Sirius rocked into her. But he was just as greedy, moving to kiss her neck and urge her to come back to him.

All of them were so close, and Hermione was soaked from the pleasure of having the two men she was in love with kiss and touch her at the same time. No part of her body ever felt neglected this way, and the contrast between Remus' rough and calloused hands and Sirius' soft, aristocratic ones was amazing. She didn't want it to end but she needed release.

She kissed Sirius deeply before surrendering to Remus again who pulled her into his arms for a kiss before pushing her down on all fours on the bed. He raised himself to his knees as he gave a quick motion for Sirius to come behind her. It only took one small glance between the two men and she was deliciously filled—Sirius taking her from behind and Remus in her mouth. She sucked hard on him as Sirius slowly increased his pace as he held her, his body enveloped over hers.

The heady mix of grunts and moans and cries of names was the sweetest sound all three of them had ever heard, and as Sirius felt Hermione clench around him, Remus felt himself stiffen in her talented mouth. He reached out and put one hand in Hermione's messy hair and the other on Sirius' shoulder, wanting to feel the shudders of both of them as they came.

And then he lost it, spilling himself inside of her mouth as Sirius bucked wildly into her, his back muscles tensing under Remus' hand as he came inside of her and Hermione moaned over his cock as she came onto Sirius. It was the most amazing few moments of bliss before they all collapsed in a tangled heap on the bed.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed! I hope you guys leave me lots of love and reviews!**


	20. Aftermath

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Let's get some more thoughts going on this chapter shall we? Don't give up on it! Oh, and has anyone seen Lawless yet? Fantastic movie!**

Hermione was thoroughly confused. She was lying in a pile of sweaty limbs of two men that she was in love with after possibly the most amazing and bizarre sexual experience of her life. And she didn't know how to feel.

_Merlin, I shouldn't know how to feel_, she thought, _I don't go around having threesomes with older men! Or in general!_

Neither of her lovers was moving, and all she heard was contented sighs and deep breaths. She desperately wondered what they were thinking but didn't have enough courage to ask. It was so natural seeming, and she wondered for a brief moment if this could be the arrangement they all needed in order to have and love each other.

She wasn't called the brightest witch of her age for nothing. She loved both of them more deeply every day and the way they had acted with each other in the bedroom signaled to her that they had some experience in something with each other before. What exactly that was she was both curious and mortified to find out. And she didn't exactly know how to have this conversation with either of them. Was she just supposed to fix some tea and say "Hey, so we all slept together…"

She extracted herself from the two sated men who were happily dozing on either side of her and they gave little groans in protest. She put on a black silk robe and crept out of Sirius' bedroom to maybe have a cup of tea by herself in the sun room and think.

**000**

_That was amazing_, Sirius thought, his eyes closed in post-coital bliss as he lazily ran his fingers through his messy black hair. The last half hour was such a blur of pleasure that he never wanted to forget, and yet thinking of it half made him cringe.

He had had to share her. And Sirius Black didn't share.

When he was with a woman…as more than just a simple shag…he was invested. _For fuck's sake he was in love_, he inwardly groaned. Of course the other women he had been with never ran around on him. So it was very hard knowing he was sharing the woman of his dreams with his best friend. And now their separate 'dating' lives with Hermione had collided in one mind-blowing bang in his bed. It was all too much.

Jealousy started to well up in Sirius' stomach and he did not want to start off his morning acting possessive to Hermione and driving her away nor did he want to start a fight with Remus. He just knew that as far as this threesome was concerned; amazing as it was, he wanted it to be a one-time thing.

All sorts of insecurities started to plague him, the likes of which hardly ever reared their ugly heads. She had seen the way she came undone for Remus. _Was he a better lover for her? Were they a better fit?_

The thought that those two things might be true made him feel ill.

**000**

Remus' heart-rate was finally starting to slow. He couldn't believe he had actually gone through with it, but he had been so caught up in the moment and he had missed her so badly.

And truth be told, he was glad Sirius was there. It had proved to both of them that he wasn't going to lose control with Hermione. Now he could be confident enough to know that he wouldn't hurt or mark her. The thought alone made him feel whole again. It had been so hard keeping away from her and not touching her.

He felt so perfectly satisfied as he laid next to Sirius, the hollow indent where Hermione's body used to be in between them. And then he heard Sirius move. His friend rolled his chiseled body to the side, facing Remus.

"You alright?" he asked drowsily. Remus nodded. It surprisingly wasn't awkward between them.

"I know how to control myself now, thanks…"

"Anytime, mate."

There was a long, heavy silence between them as they both fell back into their own thoughts about the woman they had just shared together and her absence was weighing on them. Remus rolled out of the bed first, hastily putting his legs into his discarded pyjama pants and pulling them to his hips. Sirius put on a pair of dark washed jeans and they headed out of the bedroom to look for her. A conversation was clearly in order.

She was lazily strewn over the cream colored chaise in the sun room, completely naked now—the robe on the floor-with the paper folded in her hands and a tea cup and saucer on the table besides her. Her eye brows were furrowed as she read something in the _Prophet_ as both men hesitated by the door. Remus heard Sirius suck in a breath at the sight of her naked body. The girl had really changed from the shy little thing that landed on their doorstep a few weeks back. But hell if either of them were going to let her walk around naked in the presence of the other.

"Anything interesting in there?" Sirius cleared his throat and asked her. She looked up at him with a little bit of annoyance, turning the paper around so he could see a paparazzi shot of them at dinner with Skeeter's article below.

"Apparently I'm a real animal in the sack," she deadpanned.

"I never told her that…_I swear I'm going to kill that bitch_…" Sirius said and Hermione just laughed.

"It doesn't say that Sirius. It's a tame piece, surprisingly," she grinned, and her little smile lit up the whole room.

"Could you put some clothes on?" Remus asked softly, down turning his eyes a bit, ever the gentleman. The truth was he didn't like the way Sirius' eyes were raking over her. And he was trying to look a little less lecherous than his friend.

She pouted, "Well, both of you have seen everything, and now…" she shrugged. The moments she was alone she thought about how maybe this odd new arrangement could work for her. She wouldn't have to choose, and there was less of a chance of getting hurt this way, or hurting anyone else. She was all for it. And she was faking a confidence in order to show it.

"That's not how this is going to be, Hermione," Sirius said darkly, motioning for her to put her robe on and she put the paper down, slipping on the robe and tying it loosely at the waist. She crossed her legs under her and sat up on the chaise. Both men took seats across from her and she felt very scrutinized.

"That's not ever fucking happening again actually…" Sirius started, almost angrily. He couldn't help it. The more moments had gone by, the more he wanted to punch Remus in the face and he couldn't contain his jealousy. Remus put a hand on his friend's forearm at the sight of Hermione's shocked face, but Sirius just wrenched it away.

"He doesn't mean it…"

"Yes, I bloody well do!"

"Explain." Her voice was the authority. It made them both stop and follow her orders. She had such a strong hold on them it was almost unbelievable, and she didn't even know it.

"I think Sirius is a little…er, jealous of me from what just transpired and I have to admit, although it was splendid at the time, I'm not looking for a repeat," Remus said in his calm tone and her face visibly fell.

_Wasn't it every man's fantasy to have a threesome? Maybe not with two men, but Remus and Sirius had seemed so connected too…was she missing something?_

"I don't understand," she verbalized, "Wasn't that…perfect?"

Both men paused and she saw the fleeting looks as they delved back into a mental reenactment, but those looks soon faded.

"You are perfect, Hermione. And what happened needed to happen. But for once I know I speak for both of us when I say that we each want to pursue you separately. As tough as it may get…" Sirius said weakly. He was trying to be as nice as he could be about it.

"Truth of the matter is, Hermione; you are living with two possessive gits. One more than the other…" Remus' eyes shifted playfully to Sirius who socked him back in the shoulder.

"But I wanted that more than you both know…I needed that too."

"Don't think we haven't noticed you moaning _both_ of our names in your dreams. It was only a matter of time. And trust me, it was far from unpleasant…" Sirius chuckled.

"But a relationship like that can't go on forever, so why start one?" Remus finished. She knew they were both so right in what they were saying. She just hated that now she had no scapegoat for making a choice between them. And she hated how she was being pegged as the immature one when she was sitting in front of two horny men who had basically seduced her into it in the first place. It was enough to drive a girl crazy!

"So, this is all because you two are being prats about sharing me?" she crossed her arms argumentatively. Their responses came in incoherent stutters.

"Right, well, why you two children work out your issues, I'm going to visit Ginny," she got up, tossing the Prophet to the side and heading back to the bedroom. In a few seconds they heard the water turn on as she got into the shower.

"That went well," Remus sighed.

"I'd love to give her what she wants here, but this is something I just can't do…"

"I never thought I would here Sirius Black—king of all debauchery—say no to a threesome," the werewolf smirked.

"No offense, but I just can't look at you going all goo-goo-eyed for her in my bed alright? It's going to give me a complex," Sirius rubbed his forehead.

"None taken. The last thing I want to do is put any more strain on our friendship. After all, Pads, we promised we wouldn't let anything happen between us."

"She'll come around," Sirius finished. They sat in silence for a while as they watched London wake up out the large glass window. It was just another lazy Sunday and eventually they heard the water shut off. A few moments later, Hermione came out in a simple blue cotton sundress with her bag.

"See you both later!" she called before they heard the door open and close again.

**00000**

"Do you want anything to eat?" Ginny asked Hermione after she as comfortably seated in the Potter's living room moments later. They were happy to have her, having been quite worried after she had dissaparated from the Burrow so quickly the night before.

"Toast, if that's okay Gin," she smiled and the little redhead was quick to comply.

"Look—none of us knew Ron was going to turn up last night, I'm so sorry!" Harry apologized, but Hermione just raised her hand to stop him.

"It's okay, I didn't think you guys did it on purpose, I'm sorry for running…but it was a bit much to handle, you know? Without any warning…"

Ginny came back with toast and jam and set it down in front of Hermione, "He just went on and on about how hurt he was that you didn't want to stay and talk, and how he wants you back…"

"Did you tell Sirius and Remus you saw him?" Harry asked. She shook her head.

"Merlin no, I just…how can he be hurt? He cheated on me!" she shrieked a little too loudly.

"We know, he's an ass," Ginny said as comfortingly as she could, "But you know Ron, when he's determined about something he can be rather thick-headed. You will probably have to talk to him eventually."

Hermione didn't know how she felt about that. There was a small window of time when she would of taken him back with open arms, but now too much had dissolved between them and she didn't feel like things could ever be the same. Her heart was too full with love from two others at the moment anyway, which was part of the reason she had come.

"Harry, if I could talk to Gin alone?" she murmured, trying to hide her blush and Harry guessed the topic was either about woman 'things' as he put it, or sex with his Godfather or former Professor; neither topic he wanted to hear anything about so he left as quickly as possible.

"Do you need something stronger than tea?" Ginny asked and Hermione considered it but rejected the offer.

"I did something totally uncharacteristic of me…and I think I rather liked it…" Hermione admitted. Ginny's interest was instantly peaked by the raising of one of her eyebrows in curiosity.

"Oh? Something more uncharacteristic than…"

"Sleeping with two older men…yeah," Hermione finished her sentence for her exasperatedly, "I slept with both of them at the same time."

Ginny gasped then giggled, "Oh my gosh your life is like a muggle television drama. How exciting!"

"Shush! Yes, it was exciting…but Ginny _this is bad_. This is really bad!"

Her best friend seemed lost in thought for a moment, "Why? Now you don't have to choose!"

"That's the problem…they don't want it to be like this!"

"I could see that coming from Remus, but Sirius? You know it isn't his first threesome Hermione…"

"I know, but he's rather possessive," she explained, "They both are."

"You are one lucky bitch, you know that?" Ginny said, "And now you can compare them in the bedroom side by side…"

Hermione rolled her eyes, her best friend was such a nympho. "This is really serious Ginny!"

"Okay, okay…well…maybe you should invest some more time into thinking about which one of them you want to pursue more exclusively?"

"Like I could ever make a choice," she sighed, running her hands over her curly mess of hair.

"Pro-con list?" Ginny suggested with a shrug.

"No, it's going to take a hell of a lot more than a list. I'm just not ready to make a choice. Honestly, after last night I had this hope that we could all live like that…"

"In a weird love triangle in the same house? Have you gone insane, that is the worst bloody idea ever!" Ginny told her and she had to admit, everyone else was making sense. Her heart just wasn't.

"I know, I just never thought I'd be in this position," Hermione gave her friend a weak smile.

"Sometimes the oddest things are life's greatest adventures," she smiled back, "But I know something that will cheer you up—Luna, Fleur and I have been talking about a girls' trip to Greece for a few days. I was thinking we could do it close to your birthday to celebrate…if you wanted to join. No boys allowed?"

"No boys allowed…" Hermione mused. Maybe it was just what she needed to clear her mind, although her body was already begging her to go back home and snuggle with one or both of them. Those two were somehow going to be the death of her, she knew it.

**A/N: Hope you liked! Reviews, feedback are always welcomed and encouraged! Love you all!**


	21. Making Up

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews and support guys! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

After Hermione returned from the Potter's later that afternoon, she was seriously considering taking Ginny up on her offer for a girl's weekend. She didn't want to mention it to either of the boys in case they got irrationally possessive in some way. And she was mostly thinking about Sirius. Although the morning with both have them hadn't turned out exactly how she hoped; she was happy to find them both sitting at the dining room table eagerly awaiting her return.

"We cooked you dinner, love," Sirius smiled brightly when she walked into the room. The dining room table was inordinately big and they rarely ever ate there. Sirius sat at the head of the dark cherry wood piece of furniture.

"Correction, _I_ cooked, he sampled," Remus interjected. He seemed in a much better mood and was smiling as well. Hermione took the seat across from the werewolf and surveyed the meal before her.

"And it is delicious, I assure you," the shaggy haired man smiled at his girlfriend. She put a forkful of the pasta with shrimp in her mouth and 'mmm'd' appreciatively to both men.

"Remus this is wonderful!"

"Hey, hey now…" Sirius joked playfully but Remus blushed at the sincere compliment. They chatted amiably about all of their days for a few moments, but Hermione wasn't ignorant. She knew that the delicious, romantic dinner had to be meant for something. There were even candles on the table.

"What's this all about?" she asked finally, and although Sirius gave her a well-rehearsed look of denial, Remus didn't bother.

"We are both really sorry about this morning," Lupin said with a sad smile.

"So does that mean?" Hermione's heart fluttered. Although Ginny had basically convinced her over the last few hours that a threesome with them was the worst idea in the world, she wouldn't mind it again.

"No, we haven't changed our minds kitten..." Sirius answered her directly and her face fell a little bit, "But we do have some news to tell you…"

"Tomorrow when we go back to school, I'll be staying there permanently and Sirius will be staying alone here," Remus said after swallowing a large sip of Ogden's finest.

"But why?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, we've talked and decided that you being both of our girlfriends', while wonderful, is starting to put a bit of a strain on our relationship…"

"And we don't really want to know what the other does with you. We want to continue from here on out privately, and separately, so that Pads and I can stay friends…"

"And you can't be influenced by anyone else but yourself if you decide to come to any decision," Sirius finished with a sigh.

She regarded both of them quizzically for a moment before breaking a smile, "Who knew both of you could be so logical? I love both of you so much and I was starting to think this was all going to end up in one heaping mess!"

Remus and Sirius shared a tentative glance. "We hope this prevents most of any mess," Remus told her, reaching across the table to hold her hand for a second and she squeezed his back. Although she felt slightly disappointed, she knew it was for the better. She could pursue separate relationships with both of them and it was the mature thing to do. They finished eating and the second that Sirius started clearing the plates, Hermione knew something else was amiss. Sirius Black never, ever cleaned up any mess even if she had made it.

Remus took the small opportunity to ask Hermione for a moment alone and proceeded to lead her to the library. He closed and locked the door behind them and the unreadable expression on her face only made her more nervous. He sat down on his tan, wing backed chair by the fire place and she joined him there, curling her small body up on top of his. He took the embrace gratefully and nuzzled his face into her hair for a second.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

"I have something I have to tell you," he replied in a voice equally as soft. That was the way Ron had started the "I cheated on you" conversation, and her heart fell to the depths of her stomach.

Hermione closed her eyes to brace herself for bad news, still holding onto the muscular body of her lover, clutching at his shabby tweed coat.

"The other day Tonks sent me a letter. And I met up with her. I wanted to hear her out and I didn't like what I heard. She said that she wanted to get back together and get married and have children. But I don't want to do that with her. And she kissed me…"

Hermione couldn't hold in the sob that had been forming since he had said her name and it burst out of her at mention of the kiss.

"No..no I promise I pushed her away, I have to be honest with you Hermione, I've felt so guilty…"

"You only feel guilty when you know you've done something wrong!" she said, pulling away from him and looking at him with a mixture of hurt and anger.

"Please believe me when I tell you she means nothing to me. I wanted answers and closure and I didn't want you finding out from anyone else," Remus begged but Hermione was off of his lap and pacing the library trying to calm herself down.

"You know I am not the type to say this…but I really do hate her," Hermione finally told him. She hadn't wanted to. It made her feelings for Remus all the more real. She was jealous, completely jealous, and it was strangling her heart. She knew she was overreacting a bit, because he _had_ rejected her, but she couldn't help it.

"'Mione, I don't love her. I love you," he said helplessly from his chair, his eyes following her intently.

"But you wanted to mark her first! And you wanted a life with her…you can have that now so why wouldn't you be tempted?"

"Because I've had enough of her bullshit and I've seen her true colors, that's why," he was very cold and matter-of-fact when he said it and his amber eyes were begging her to believe him.

She paced back and forth a few times. Her mind believed what he was saying, but her heart was doing flips and thrumming against her ribcage. It scared her that she was so deeply in love with him that she would ever lash out like this out of jealousy.

"I don't want you to ever see her again…" the words left her mouth before she could stop them and she looked thoroughly embarrassed afterwards.

"I wasn't planning on it love," Remus sighed, patting his thighs for her to come back to him. She caved and crawled back onto his lap.

"I can't believe myself for being like this…" she admitted.

"I expected much worse, honestly. I knew you would be angry. I don't blame you. I shouldn't have ever gone in the first place. It was the worst mistake in the world and I am truly sorry," Remus said, kissing her forehead before tilting her chin up so that her eyes found his, "Forgive me?"

"How could I not?" she smiled and kissed him. It was the end of their distance, and there was genuine forgiveness in the way she held him. She understood that if she was so jealous over Tonks, she could only imagine how jealous Sirius and Remus were of each other and knew they were being smart about the new arrangement.

After a few blissful moments of snogging, Remus picked her up in his arms and carried her out of the library. She playfully fought against him until she saw that the living room of the flat was completely re-organized into something every muggle schoolgirl dreamed their sleepovers would look like.

There were plush pillows and blankets everywhere, the furniture completely removed and there was a sheet fort, held up by magic instead of ingenuity. Sirius was smiling in the middle of it all.

"Is all well with you lovebirds?" he asked, clearly in the know about the conversation they just had. Remus smiled and Sirius was then free to gesture around at his creation, "Do you like it?"

"I love it, but…why?" she grinned, bounding into the pillows and hugging Sirius who picked her up and spun her around playfully. They were knee deep in the pillows and Remus had waded his way in as well.

"Because we love you and wanted to do something special on our last night all together. To make you happy," Remus explained, grabbing her from behind and pulling her down onto the soft floor covering. Sirius joined them, laughing.

Their rolling around soon turned into a pillow fight and feathers were flying everywhere after Sirius took to making it his personal mission to win.

He beat down Remus and Hermione into a fit of giggles and once again they found themselves all next to each other in a heap of limbs. When their breathing quieted, Remus took her under the makeshift blanket fort that was rather roomy inside. There were some candles floating in the corners of it, and all the pillows under it were a deep crimson.

"It's gorgeous," Hermione whispered as the werewolf laid her down in the middle of it all. Sirius crawled to lie next to her, wrapping his arms around her.

"See, I'm not such a sod after all," he joked and she kissed him hard. His talented hands snaked down to her arse and gave it a firm squeeze. She giggled into the kiss, her hands tangling themselves in his hair as Remus propped himself up on his elbow and watched.

He was trying his best to hold in his jealousy so that he could enjoy her movements. It was an interesting study—the way she moved with Sirius as compared to himself –- and he knew Sirius was curious too.

When Sirius lifted her arms and slowly inched off her shirt, Remus grabbed hold of her waist and pulled her towards him. She grinned before kissing him, his hands moving to grab her firm breasts over her lacy black bra and it was Sirius' turn to watch as Remus slipped her out of her jeans and she wrapped a leg wantonly over his waist, pulling herself closer and grinding against the already pronounced bulge of his trousers.

Hermione was already so wet thinking about what was ahead for her, knowing that although it wasn't their favorite thing in the world—they were doing this to make her happy, and it would be the last time it would ever happen. She enjoyed relinquishing herself back and forth to each man. Both of their caresses were so different. Remus' were unhurried, and Sirius' were passionate. The lazy circles Remus drew on her bare back collided so deliciously with Sirius' pinches up her thighs and fervent rubbing of her bud through her now transparent panties.

They just knew how to move with her, and together, and she would miss it.

Sirius was the first to fully undress and she straddled herself over him before sliding down onto him with a low moan. Remus unbuttoned and kicked off his trousers, beginning to stroke his already throbbing length as he watched Hermione bounce up and down on his friend. Her hair was in her face and she was biting her lip to keep from losing it so early on. Sirius had his hands on her ass, holding her so tightly Remus could see marks forming there as he guided her up and down on him. Remus finally moved behind her, running a finger up her spine and then kissing her hard on the neck, sucking to the point where the wolf almost surfaced and bit down, but he forced that part of him back successfully.

Sirius got greedy, bucking himself up into her hard and it was Hermione who placed her hands firmly on the animagus' chest and pushed him down, rolling off of him and into the arms of her other lover. Remus didn't hesitate, pushing her onto her back and hovering over her before kissing each of her perfect breasts and trailing down her stomach to her center. Hermione tensed, loving the way Remus kissed her down there more than anything and she sighed happily as his lips met her folds. He licked her slowly, but with an intense pressure that built up that wonderful ball of pleasure in her lower stomach until she could hardly contain in anymore. Sirius was lying next to them, stroking her soft face with his hand lovingly in between kisses. She stroked his length as Remus moaned from her pussy, loving her taste.

"Oh please, both of you…I need you…" she begged and Remus responded immediately, moving swiftly from kissing her to plunging into her, long, deliberate thrusts that steadily drove her to louder and louder moans. Sirius straddled the top half of her body and she leaned up to take him in her mouth. It was the first time he had felt her lips around his cock, and he almost came undone right then and there.

Remus grabbed onto Sirius' shoulders and pushed him so that he fucked Hermione's mouth. Both men's thrusts into her coincided perfectly and she was writhing in pleasure. Both of them were calling out her name and her moans were a sexy, jumbled mix of both of theirs.

Sirius couldn't hold on any longer, he pulled himself out of her mouth and came onto her lovely breasts, having wanted so badly to mark her there with his cum for ages now. Remus and Hermione came at roughly the same time, her losing control seeing Remus' hands on Sirius and Sirius spilling himself on her.

Sirius moved so that Remus and Hermione could ride out their orgasms. He watched the passion in both of their eyes and fell in love with Hermione even more as he watched the intricacies of the way her face scrunched up when she came and then relaxed, her long lashes fluttering in a daze and her mouth gaping open just a little bit.

Remus slid out of her, panting and fell to her side, holding her close.

"I love you.." he whispered and it hurt Sirius inside to hear it, to watch her smile from it.

"I love you more," she giggled back and Sirius claimed her other side, kissing her cheek.

"And me?" he asked as she turned to him with wide eyes.

"I'm madly in love with you," she told him, running her finger down her chest drenched in his seed to show him she loved being his.

With a few more stolen kisses each, the three of them fell asleep with the dim light of the candles under the tent in the living room, and they couldn't have been happier in that moment.

**A/N: Please review! And if you are looking for a darker read that is HG/SB, check out my other story "One More Night"**


	22. Two Sides

**A/N: Hey guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter. It is a change from most of the others…more time passes quickly here, and it is a transition chapter…after this: 4 more chapters and an Epilogue ahh! Down to the wire people! Reviews loved and cherished! Dedicated to onebigscribble for asking for a "cliché library scene" haha **

Hermione was glad to be back at Hogwarts for her second week of the term, but she couldn't help but admit that helping Remus shrink his trunks that morning and watching him say goodbye to Sirius was quite bizarre. She knew it was time for a change, she had realized it the second they woke up Monday morning after their little sleepover when there was an air of sadness hanging over all of them. It was time to move on from that part of their adventure for good.

She helped Remus unpack his things (what little he actually possessed) and it had felt rather nice and domestic for them to clean his small rooms and put all of his clothes away. He now kept a small framed picture of the two of them by his bedside table which Hermione found more than endearing. But she also had to remember that she wasn't going to keep her job by focusing entirely on either of her relationships, and she spent Monday evening lesson planning for the rest of the week.

She ended up being so busy that week that she hardly saw Remus save for mealtimes. She fell back into the easy routine of her lectures and her stories with her students and enjoyed the nights curled up by the fire in her room grading their scrolls of parchment. She had forgotten what a little independence tasted like; what the single life tasted like, and she was momentarily glad for the reprieve from making any decision about her two lovers. Despite being a Gryffindor and fiercely brave, she had decided that avoidance was working out rather nicely for her sanity.

Remus, however, wasn't taking to the lack of contact with his love. He hated it, and was particularly harsh in his lessons out of petty annoyance with his girlfriend and the lack of her touch. It got so bad that he finally went looking for her during his Wednesday afternoon break. He knew she had some free periods in the middle of the day, and after checking her classroom; he knew there was only one other place she could be.

Remus strode into the library, and some second years shuddered a bit as he passed. He felt bad about it, really; knowing he went rather hard on them that morning, but he only had one thing on his mind. He looked down some of the long aisles of books and only managed to find one fifth year couple snogging. Without so much as a look from Mrs. Pince, he wandered into the restricted section and finally caught her scent mingling with the dust of the old books.

He stopped in his tracks when he caught sight of her. She was halfway down one of the aisles, with her cute nose deep in a Dark Runes book. He couldn't help but smile as she was so engrossed with whatever she was reading. Slowly, he snuck up on her and she didn't even notice until his arms snaked around her waist in her Professor's robes and he planted a longing kiss on her neck.

She jumped and he laughed before she turned on him and nearly smacked him with the thick volume in her hands. He put one of his long, slightly calloused fingers to her lips so hush her and she obliged.

"I can't stand being away from you, 'Mione," he whispered and she looked up into his beautiful amber eyes and had no idea why she hadn't spent time with him the last few days. She knew she had been an awful girlfriend…to both of them. The letters Sirius had written her were lying neglected on her bed stand and she had barely kissed Remus since they had arrived.

"I'm so terribly sorry, I think that after what happened between us…I didn't know how to move on separately and I just avoided everything…" she sighed, realizing her folly. She wasn't going to ever come closer to a decision if she treated that matter in such a childish way.

"Don't think about it too much, let's just get back to how we used to be…just me and you…let me remind you," he whispered, leaning to kiss her neck again. Remus didn't often get a mischievous look in his eyes, but when he did it was deadly—and right now, he had the most potent one glowing from the depths of those caramel orbs of his. She couldn't help but be instantly turned on.

"We can't here…" she giggled before sighing as he gently nibbled on her neck, his hands reached into her robes and slyly started feeling her up, one hand moving to squeeze a breast, the other to her arse.

"Oh yes we can…" his voice hit that low octave that she found absolutely irresistible and she didn't try and fight it anymore. She knew that there was a very slim chance they would be bothered so she let herself go in his arms; her lips finding his as she kissed him thoroughly and passionately. He eased her against the bookshelf until she arched against the old tomes and tugged on her earlobe with his teeth. That little movement made Hermione's eyes roll back. He just knew exactly where to touch her…the little things about her that no one else – not even Sirius – knew.

Fumbling for his wand, Remus managed to grab it and cast a quick, localized silencing spell before undoing the fly of his trousers. He was incredibly thankful Hermione had decided to wear a skirt and he hitched it up around her waist, dipping a finger into her panties and feeling her wet and ready for him.

He took himself out of his pants and Hermione couldn't help but moan at the sight of his hardness, visibly twitching for her. She took him in one hand, sliding her soft palm up and down his shaft before he growled in need and hoisted her up by the waist so she was pinned between the bookshelf and him, fixing the height difference. Remus teased her entrance after sliding her soaked panties to the side before slipping in her. The low moan that escaped her pink, parted lips drove him mad with lust as he thrust into her. Hermione held onto his shoulders, pressing her fully clothed upper half against his grey sweater and kissing him with abandon. They came together, spiraling out of control at the same time. They nearly always did. Remus panted her name into her brown curls and she kissed his forehead in thanks.

After a few silent and blissful moments against the bookshelf, Remus eased out of his love and set her down on the ground, although she was surprised she could even stand after such a spontaneous and thorough shagging. She beamed up at him giddily, adjusting her skirt and her robes as he fixed himself, running a hand through his mussed tawny hair.

"Stay the night tonight, let's finish this properly," he winked at her, and although he had never been good at the gesture (like Sirius was), it was sexy and endearing in its own way. With a sweet parting kiss on her swollen lips, he fled the restricted section and Hermione was left wondering why she was even in the library in the first place.

**000**

Hermione found that a satisfying routine with both of her boyfriends could be managed if she sectioned each of them off in her mind properly. Having been rejuvenated to a point from her semi-public shag with Remus, she spent the remainder of the week in a busy flurry—flitting from class to Remus to apparating back to the penthouse to spend time with Sirius. She joined Remus as a chaperone for the first Hogsmeade trip of the year and enjoyed talking to him over warm firewhiskey as she watched the higher grades stroll through Honeydukes. It reminded her of the happy memories she shared with Ron and Harry, and how those moments had grounded her even in times of great danger later on in her life.

While the time she spent with Remus mostly consisted of reading together and snuggling by the fire in between passionate bouts of lovemaking, the hours spent with Sirius were considerably different. He brought out the playful, sexy side of her while Remus nurtured her quiet, bookish one. On Friday night she had apparated back to Sirius' flat wearing just her coat with nothing underneath and he ravished her on the kitchen island before they got dressed to the nines and went out to dinner.

Sirius spoiled her: buying her things left and right and doting on her in the way he knew how—through charm and money. Although she protested at most of it, Hermione loved the attention he lavished on her, especially in public. And especially when they would be out on the streets of London together and some woman would yell "Mudblood!' of "Slut!" across at her, jealous of her relationship with Sirius. He would protect her, and would declare his love for her then and there, as loud as he could-usually accompanied by a middle finger to the envious woman. She felt safe and protected with him, and wanted more than anything in the world.

Things were moving at such an accelerated rate once again, and by the middle of the following week—she was starting to feel like two different people. It was a strange feeling, and it left her slightly confused, but it was working and she was discovering more about herself and both of the men in her lives. Hermione realized that them living separately had been the best decision for all involved, and it led to both of them keeping their jealousy in check well enough for it to not enter into any of their conversations.

However, both of her worlds collided once again (she was starting to think she would never get a break) when Thursday morning found her at the Head table reading the most embarrassing set of articles about her by none other than Rita Skeeter herself.

Remus looked on with a cold, steady look on his face as a picture of them at Hogsmeade showed them laughing as they walked along the street. They weren't holding hands, but there was clearly love in their eyes. Some of the older students that subscribed were now looking up at them rather curiously. Below the picture read:

_**Granger Steps out on Black with his Best Friend!**_

_Late last week, Hermione Granger was spotted canoodling with fellow Professor Remus John Lupin, werewolf and Sirius Black's Hogwarts cohort. The pair looked cozy all day, and it is very clear an affair is brewing with the harlot mudblood and the wolf…._

Hermione slammed her cup of tea down a little too hard on the saucer, causing it to crack. She fixed it with a quick spell and ignored the rest of the article as she moved down the other one taking up the rest of the front page. This one bore a picture of her and Sirius standing in front of a restaurant, locked in a kiss.

_**Goldigging Golden Girl**_ the headline read and Hermione turned pink with suppressed rage.

_It is a well-known fact that Sirius Orion Black (formerly the most eligible bachelor in London, albeit ex-convict) has more than enough galleons in Gringotts to last two lifetimes…and it seems like the precocious third of the Golden Trio is seducing the older man into a relationship for her share of the money…._

Remus grabbed Hermione's hand before she slammed that down too. An owl flew to the table, landing right in front of her with a few letters. She recognized Ginny's handwriting on one, but tore open Sirius' messy scrawled parchment first.

_I knew it was too good to be true…I'm taking care of it._

_X_

_Siri_

**A/N: Please review if you read! **


	23. Under the Moon

**A/N: Okay, so I am writing this when I really should be finishing up a school paper…but you know…Remus and Sirius come first right? So you best be thankful haha You guys are great…and welcome to all my new followers and readers! Oh and onebigscribble-here is finally your Sirius/Hermione scene **

Hermione and Remus exchanged nervous looks as they stood in the Headmistress' office after breakfast. McGonagall looked beyond frazzled and they were unfortunately the cause.

"Both of you…you promised that your relationship would not interfere with your positions as Professors! And now we have the entire student body running around talking about your love life…not to mention that awful article about you and Black with that heinous term…_gold-digger_…my goodness…"

"I am so, so sorry!" Hermione apologized sincerely, she felt so immature and thoughtless that she had let her emotional side get the best of her and jeopardize her wonderful job and opportunity that McGonagall did not have to give her.

"Minerva, there will be no further indiscretions," Remus added and she shot him a scathing look in return.

"There best not be…or I will have both of you out of this castle faster than you can say _Riddikulus_, and it would be a shame—because you both are brilliant—but I will not put the reputation of this institution at risk!" her voice was becoming shrill now.

"We can make an announcement, I mean-Rita Skeeter wrote the articles, it's all false!" Hermione suggested.

"It won't stop them from talking….it's out in the open now, and it surely won't be forgotten by gossipy adolescents. I know you both are familiar with how things can be around here," her face softened as she finally finished scolding her two former students turned Professors under her watch. They apologized once again and she dismissed them with a wave of her wrinkled hand. They walked down the spiral staircase from her office and out into the busy corridor, flaming red from the smirks they were getting from students.

"So I guess being around each other at all is out of the question now, huh?" Hermione sighed deeply as they walked along the hall, being careful to keep a safe distance between themselves as they did.

"We'll find time to be together, but until this all blows over, yes," Remus answered her, reaching to give her hand one final and inconspicuous squeeze before walking the opposite direction to his classroom.

**000**

The next day found Hogwarts, as well as the rest of the wizarding world, with a carefully worded retraction in the Daily Prophet of Rita Skeeter's articles about Hermione, Remus, and Sirius. Unbeknownst to the pair at Hogwarts, Black had marched down to the Prophet's office and managed (with the help of a large portion of his often written about wealth) to demand the proper retractions. He knew he would do whatever it took to keep Hermione's reputation from being sullied. He didn't much care about his own—as it was a bit far too gone to be saved at this point—but he would not have Skeeter spewing falsities about the girl actually least likely in the entire world to be a gold-digger. Sirius had met his fair of those birds, and Hermione wasn't one of them. He had also managed to find Skeeter on his rampage throughout the Prophet offices and hex her within an inch of her life before she managed to turn into her pesky beetle form and disappear in a crack in the floorboards.

Hermione arrived back at the apartment early Friday evening and was glad for the change of pace. She missed the animagus more than she could properly articulate and he showed the same relief at her arrival in the depth of the bear hug he enveloped her in when she strode through the door. He kissed her forehead, then her right cheek, and then the corner of her lips before she was able to catch her breath and look up at him.

"Thank you for everything you did this week for me, and for Remus. He sends along his sincerest appreciation," Hermione said graciously.

"I wish I could have done more, the conniving bitch…." He started to curse Skeeter under his breath but another kiss from Hermione brought him back to the present and his winning smile was once again plastered on his face, "Put on something a bit warmer and we will go…"

"Where?" she perked up, knowing that Sirius always planned the most romantic and spontaneous surprises.

"And why would I tell you little girl? Now go on…" he smirked, giving her a light slap on the ass before she gave in and proceeded to her room. She changed out of her dress that she had worn earlier for classes and into a pair of dark washed jeans and a royal blue sweater. She grabbed a jacket and met him by the door as they walked out of the flat. Once in the small space between the door and the elevator, he grabbed her close to him and they side-along apparated.

She hated the out of control feeling of the task, and when they appeared at their destination, she looked around in hesitation. They were on a grassy clearing roughly the size of a Quidditch pitch that was surrounded by trees at the edges. It was beautiful and sloping and deserted—their only company would be the moonlight. Sirius made himself busy by pulling things out of the bag he brought along, returning them to their normal sizes and spreading them out with his wand. He laid out two blankets, some pillows, and then a picnic basket. He then grabbed Hermione's hand and brought her over to sit with him on the blankets.

"How did you find this place?" she asked, moving closer to him as he parted his legs and she eased into the gap, her back pressed against his chest. He enveloped her with his strong arms and breathed in the smell of her hair.

"I believe we are somewhere in Ireland…I spent a few nights here when I was on the run after you and Harry saved my life. I thought it would be nice to bring you here, seeing as you've saved my life once again…" he told her. She turned around from her comfortable, protected position to face him with a questioning look.

"How did I save your life? By coming here to picnic with you?" she giggled.

"No, by loving me. I feel like a changed man. I would do anything for you…I'd willingly die to keep you safe, and we all know what a selfish bastard I am…." He winked at her and she kissed him gently. It was a lingering kiss, both of them not wanting to pull away until her stomach growled and interrupted the mood.

"Ah yes, I came prepared.." he told her, opening the basket and pulling out some sandwiches for them and she briefly wondered if he had made them—but settled on the fact that he probably bought them from somewhere and she didn't much mind. He poured the goblin made wine he had brought into two cups and they clinked them before taking long swallows. The pair ate quickly and in silence for a while, and Sirius noticed Hermione's eyes kept flicking towards the moon.

"Do you feel bad that you came home?" Sirius asked softly, and she briefly smiled that he had referred to his flat as being 'her home'. It was a full moon and Remus had stayed at Hogwarts to transform, with Minerva letting him use the old Shrieking Shack for the purpose—just like in days long since passed.

"Maybe a little. He'll be fine though. I just couldn't be away from you any longer. I missed you," she replied softly, wiping a little crumb from the corner of her mouth after she had finished eating.

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear that," Sirius smiled. He moved the plates and sandwich crumbs before taking her into his arms, they fell back onto the blankets together against the pillows and his kissed her longingly.

"Sirius Black, I had no idea you could be such a romantic!" she giggled, pushing him playfully on the chest.

"Oh yes, love. I think I've always been a romantic…it's just taken the right girl to bring it out in me."

Her small fingers began to work the buttons of his shirt and he kissed her again, deepening it and she let him into her mouth willingly. His kisses were addicted, powerful doses of the most intoxicating substance…and each kiss was more lethal than the last. She didn't know how she could ever give them up and she didn't want to.

"Mm mm mm, hold on kitten…dessert!" Sirius pushed her away gently and she pouted as he moved towards the basket and brought out two massive, delectable looking chocolate covered strawberries. He must have somehow gleaned they were her favorite treat, and she usually picked up one or two when at Honeydukes. But these in particular looked heavenly.

"Oh Sirius they look almost as good as you do," she flirted and he shook his head laughing before taking one and bringing it up to her lips and pressing it there before she opened her mouth and took a bite of it. At that moment she realized there weren't many better things in life than being fed chocolate covered strawberries by your boyfriend who just happened to be the amazing and devastatingly handsome Sirius Black. She took the other strawberry and fed him in the same way. They went back and forth like that until both treats were gone.

"'Mione, you have a little something…"

Sirius leaned forward and kissed the corner of her mouth lightly, where a bit of stray chocolate had been lingering. Once he had tasted it, he moved to her lips and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back down and finally giving her what she wanted. He had teased his little witch long enough, but he had had a purpose for it. He wanted to show her that he could be sweet, like Remus was—that he could give her everything she wanted too.

It was a mixture of long kisses and slow movements for a moment, but before long their embrace had disintegrated into frantic touches, as it usually did with the pair. There was such a burning passion between the two that sometimes even fast wasn't 'fast enough'. Hermione finished unbuttoning her lovers' shirt before kissing her way down his toned, inked chest and pausing where the fabric of his jeans met his skin. Sirius groaned at her hot breath on his skin as she undid his button and fly before slipping the denim down over his hips.

She pressed her palm against his now tented boxers before removing those as well and grasping his hard length. Hermione moved closer and pressed a soft kiss to the glistening head, looking up at him as she did it and Sirius released the most deliciously needy groan she had heard to date. She wanted to hear more, so she teased him with lingering kisses up and down his cock, swirling her tongue here and there, cupping his balls lightly and stroking him with her soft hand. The poor man was having the hardest time.

Sirius didn't know how long he was going to last. He had wanted this for so long from her, but he had known better than to ask, of course. He was a changed man from the times he would just push a girls' head down there. He fleetingly smiled, remembering what an ass he used to be. It wasn't long before Hermione shocked him back to reality as she finally enveloped him in her hot mouth. It took all his self-control not to tangle his hand in her hair and speed it up, but he had to admit he was enjoying her wonderfully slow teasing.

She looked up at him with those big, expressive eyes of hers, clearly enjoying it which made it all the more sexier to Sirius. As he groaned again she treated him to a faster rhythm, using her hand to cover the rest of his length and sucking, her cheeks hollowed as she dragged her mouth up and off of him with a loud 'pop'.

"Dear Merlin woman, you are going to be the death of me…" he groaned, running his hands frantically through his hair to keep himself from fucking her senseless right then and there—although he doubted she would protest too much.

"I'm not through with you yet," she laughed a little before returning to pleasuring him. She enjoyed the act more than she thought she would, and she was more than happy to return some of the pleasure that Sirius had repeatedly given to her. As she moaned on his cock, she felt him stiffen even more, and they locked gazes. He was watching her with awe, clutching at the blanket beneath him, and she was reiterating how much she loved him, and _this_, with her eyes. Hermione sped up the pace again and within moment, Sirius had spilled himself into her mouth. She swallowed him and planted a few more kisses on him before easing up from his lower half and collapsing happily next to him. Sirius was in a blissful state for a few moments before he turned to her and took her in his arms. She knew she was in love when she was practically dying for him inside and yet she knew she would have to wait for her turn. She would do anything for the man.

"Thank you, love."

"You deserve the world Sirius…"

"You do as well…but see, that I can practically buy for you," he laughed as he moved her, pulling up his boxers and then positioned her so they were spooning. Their breathing evened and fell into a steady pace with one another before he spoke again.

"Where do you see yourself in a few years' time?"

His voice seemed different when he asked, pensive even. She considered it for a moment and gave him an honest answer.

"Married, I hope. In a good job. Happy. I want to have what all of my friends have," she sighed. She wanted to be married, of course, but she knew that she was lucky things happened as they did with Ron—it wasn't meant to be.

"Mmm…children?" he proceeded sleepily. His orgasm was getting the better of him, but he knew it was high time they talked about something other than the amazing sex they were having.

"Always wanted to be a mum.." she said softly, but not questioningly. Although it was odd that he was asking her these things of all people, she felt a wonderful flutter in her stomach. She turned slowly in his arms so she could judge his face. He seemed contented, and he smiled at her.

"I know no one thinks of me like this…but I think I'd be a good dad, I'd want to be," he said, but there was a shred of doubt in his voice.

"Siri, you will make a wonderful father. But I had no idea you wanted children."

"Oh yes, a whole lot of them. I can't let the Black family name die with me!" he said jokingly, but Hermione could tell there was a real longing there. She entertained the thought of raising little raven haired children with him and a grin crept up her face.

"Oh, of course not!" she joked back and he started playfully tickling her. He didn't want to press her with too much seriousness at the moment. Their lips met once again and he pulled her on top of him. Sirius made she Hermione didn't go without the rest of that night and well into morning.

**A/N: Well, hope you enjoyed! I actually ended up finishing said paper between writing this, so yay! Reviews and thoughts happily accepted, we are down to the final few chapters after all!**


	24. Up to No Good

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Bluebird1125—here it is finally! Your submission! Enjoy everyone!**

"Remus I'm back!" Hermione walked happily into his rooms Sunday evening. She set her bag down on the leather chair by the door but was a bit perplexed to find his living area empty. It was only a day and a half after the full moon and she had still expected him to be lounging about in bed, recovering; especially since it was the weekend. The only traces of life she saw were some crinkled chocolate wrappers and some dirty clothes on the floor.

As it was about supper time, Hermione figured he might just be in the Great Hall eating; but since Sirius had wined and dined her to the point where she felt like a fat pig that weekend—she had no desire for the heavy treacle's the house elves made. Instead she climbed onto his bed and lay happily amongst the ruffled sheets, breathing in his distinct smell of leather and crisp fall air and man.

She lazily ran her fingers over the sheets as she thought about her weekend with Sirius. It had been lovely. Except for Saturday night when he had taken her out to a club and some bloke had hit on her. Poor Sirius had gotten all bent out of shape that the wanker had called him an "old man" and had decked the guy. She laughed at the memory. But he had made up for his childish behavior that morning with a very thorough exploration of her body.

Hermione always found it odd that thoughts of her one boyfriend led to thoughts of the other and she was getting rather impatient that Remus was not curled up next to her. She got up out of his bed, ran a hand over her hair and marched down to the Great Hall, with all intentions of dragging him back up to his room with her. As she walked through the double doors, she saw dinner in progress and her brown eyes quickly scanned the head table for her sandy-haired lover. He wasn't there.

Turning on her heel in desperation, she walked to the main staircase and started to climb. There was only one other place she could even picture him being and her feet carried her quickly up to the astronomy tower.

She involuntarily let out the breath that she was unknowingly holding when she saw him leaning over the edge of the short stone wall. His face was calm and he was looking up at the waning moon. Hermione had always thought it such a wonder that the one thing he hated once a month was something her actively enjoyed staring at during the remaining days.

"I missed you," she said softly and he turned. His smile slowly crept up his face when he saw her come out of the shadows and he crossed the distance between them quickly to envelop her in a long hug.

"All in one piece, I see," he smirked, holding her at arm's length and appraising her. She blushed under his scrutiny.

"And why would I not be?"

"Oh, you know Sirius…" he laughed, "How are you my love? How is my friend?"

She reached up and stroked his stubbly cheek before replying, "I am wonderful now that I finally found you. I was lying in your bed for ages waiting for you to come to me….and Padfoot is just fine. Sporting a shiner, but fine."

"If I would have known you were in my bed witch, I sure as hell wouldn't have been up here!" he laughed, "And why is my best mate nursing a black eye?"

"Because he's a jealous bastard," Hermione bit her lip and giggled. She didn't expect the reaction that followed. Remus' eyes went wide as he looked over her again.

"Did someone put their hands on you? Are you okay?"

"Ohh goodness not you too! It was nothing Remus, I don't want to talk about it…" she rolled her eyes and groaned as he continued to protest. She loved that both of them were protective but all she wanted to do was kiss him. She stood on her toes and pressed her lips to his and the effect was instant. No more talking.

His strong hands ran up her back and pulled her even closer and she was amazed at the effect she was already having on him that was manifesting itself on her thigh. She giggled into the kiss as she ran a hand up to rake through his already messy hair. It wasn't till she moved away from him for a second to kiss his neck that she remembered he was fresh off a transformation.

"I'm sorry Remus, I forgot…" she whispered against his shoulder as he held her.

He merely answered her with a growl, "I don't care. _I'm fine_, I just have to have you…"

She kissed him back, and the passion was burning between them tenfold from just second prior. His hands moved for her blouse at the same time hers went for his shirt. They started undressing each other simultaneously and soon they were both topless—their naked chests pressing against each other as his hand found its way down to her hip and held there tightly as he slowly walked her backwards, never once breaking their fervent kiss.

Hermione groaned as her back suddenly hit hard, cold stone and Remus' body was surrounding her. "I need you, please…" she begged.

"Always so impatient, aren't you darling?" he whispered to her, although he knew he was on the verge of breaking any last thread of self-control he had and fucking her hard against the wall. Instead he reached to slip off her pants before unbuttoning his own.

It was the second time they had done it this way, with her back against something and Hermione was beginning to revel in the sensation of his strong arms supporting her as he moved her just where she needed to be. She loved the fact that she was level with his eyes, and she saw every emotion flicker through them as he slowly eased himself inside of her. But they both knew their position didn't afford them much time. Dinner would be over soon and the students would have an hour or so to wander, and many loved the Astronomy tower…

With one palm splayed out against the stone wall besides her head, bracing himself and another wrapped around her, Remus thrust in and out of her, moving his hips to fill her perfectly and the wonderful heat in her stomach grew with every motion. They whispered "I love you's" to each other over and over, a sort of chant as he filled her then parted from her, leaving her gasping and mewling for more. She wanted it harder and Remus, although spent from the full moon, knew he couldn't deny her. He wanted to claim her. And if he couldn't mark her, then he would have her like this. Helpless and wanting him and completely supported by him. It was primal as her head slammed back against the wall as she reached her orgasm and he came seconds later. She was his and he was hers.

**000**

"Do you ever think about getting married Remus?" Hermione asked quietly. They were lying in his bed after their passionate lovemaking in the tower and were simply cuddling under his silky sheets. After Sirius had brought the subject up the other night, she couldn't stop thinking about it. It was what she had wanted…but Ron wasn't the one. And now she was faced with two amazing men that she could see herself spending the rest of her life with. She had also thought about what Ginny said the last time they had hung out alone—and Hermione couldn't help want to find out where both of them stood. Sirius, against all odds considering his unattached and slightly sordid past, seemed open to the idea. But would Remus be?

The werewolf shifted uncomfortably against her, glad she was facing away from him at that moment before he said, "No, I don't."

Hermione closed her eyes, suddenly feeling unbearably sad. Of course they hadn't dated very long-and now she felt stupid for even bringing it up. "Sorry I…"

Remus felt awful the moment the words had left his mouth. Of course he thought about marriage. He had wanted to marry Tonks, and now—he couldn't really see his life without Hermione in it. But he knew it would never happen, so he had to keep his heart protected. He didn't even understand why she had asked.

"Don't be, I'm sorry. It's not that I don't think about getting married, or that I don't want to. I just know it isn't in the cards for me."

He felt her body shift as she rolled over and that was the last thing he wanted. He quickly tried to make his face as impassive as possible as she stared into his eyes, searching.

"If you want it, then you can have it. I truly believe anyone can have whatever they want," she said softly and he smiled. She truly was the brightest witch of their age with the stuff that came out of her cute little mouth.

"Some people can't, 'Mione…"

"Why not?" she asked challengingly. He didn't want to go there with her. He really wanted to say, _'because some people like me aren't Sirius. Men like him get what they want. And I don't'_

But instead, he calmly replied, "Because some people are piss poor, and are werewolves, and can't offer a beautiful witch anything."

She stared at him for a long moment, and he wished she wouldn't look at him like that. There was no pity in her eyes, only anger. She finally sat up and crossed her arms.

"You know what? I am tired of the way you think about yourself Remus. You are a sexy, smart, talented, caring, and damn near perfect. Any woman would be lucky to have you! And I wish I could compliment you on my own volition instead of because you are constantly having a pity party for yourself. You know what women do want in a man though? Confidence that they are worth something. Because you are. So start acting like it!"

Remus was blown away by her little speech. He knew she was right about everything, she nearly always was, but he couldn't help but downturn his eyes in embarrassment as she crawled out of his bed and slipped on her clothes and robes.

"I'll see you at breakfast," she finished with softness that he took as an end to any argument before she walked out of his door. Hermione hated having to say that, and she hated that it had burst so violently out of her after such a beautiful night, but she cared about him and was rather angry that she couldn't have the wonderful 'next step' conversation with him like she could with Sirius. All because he was insecure.

Remus groaned as he lay on his now empty bed. He knew he was going to lose her if he didn't stop acting like such a mope. He knew she wouldn't have even broached the subject if she wasn't serious in some way. And she had stayed this long. She loved him and he loved her. And yet he still couldn't accept it as real. His dreams plagued him lately with nightmares that she had left and it was all a farce.

Sirius was always telling him that he was worth a damn. And Hermione was too. He figured it was about time he started listening to the two people whose opinion of him meant everything.

**000**

"Ready mate?"

"I told you once Fred, I don't want to go out!"

Sirius was waving off the Twins who were intruding in on his flat that same night. They were both dressed up nicely with devious little grins on their faces.

"Come on, we haven't gone drinking in _ages_ Sirius!" George gave his best whine and the Marauder rolled his eyes as he flicked through television channels while he sat on the couch.

"It's Sunday. No one is out on a Sunday night."

"Precisely. No birds. We're all taken anyway. Just a quiet night of drinks and conversation, right Georgie?"

"Of course Freddie," his twin winked back at him.

"You two have trouble written all over your faces," Sirius said and Fred faked a look of being affronted.

"Just an hour…" George offered and Sirius finally sighed heavily and gave in.

"One drink and I am coming home!" he told them, walking into the foyer and grabbing his coat off the hook. The twins looked positively delighted.

"Oh you old spoil-sport. Has Hermione made you all domestic now?" Fred teased as they got into the elevator.

"No…I'm just realizing that I don't have to be a fucking wreck to enjoy my life _boys_…" he shoved his hands in his pockets. It was mostly the fact that he had gotten into a childish fight the night before and his pride was severely wounded.

"Uh huh…sure," George winked as they walked down to a wizard pub not far from them. As they walked, George and Fred carried on an animated conversation over him as Sirius realized that maybe a night out would do him some good. It wasn't making him younger sitting and moping over what Hermione and Remus were doing anyway.

Before long the twins were handing him shots of flaming firewhiskey and he was downing them as fast as he could. They were all laughing and sharing stories and it was glad to be back out with his boys—even if they were years younger than he was.

"I scared to poor guy half to death!" George roared, pretty piss drunk himself as he recounted to Sirius their latest prank on Harry. He couldn't help but laugh himself into a fit of giggles so uncontrollable that he thought he would never recover. Everything was hazy and he was having the best time. The only thing that could have made it better was if Hermione was there with him.

Fred came back from the bar with another round and they all shot the firewhiskey back.

"We solemnly swear we will always be up to no good!" they chanted together.

And that was the last thing Sirius remembered.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Please leave me a little review! They brighten up my days like nothing else! **


	25. Messes

**A/N: Two updates so close together?! Madness! I hope you guys enjoy…I am just getting really excited because the end is fast approaching and I have loved every second of writing this. I also love that you guys love it just as much as I do! And I hope you like the first part of this chapter…I thought it would be a fun addition!**

"Ginny dear, I'm off to work….what in the world?" Harry stopped at the doorway to his and Ginny's bedroom and he started laughing at the sight before him. His wife was demolishing their nicely organized closet by throwing things haphazardly out of it. All he saw of her was an occasional flash of red and various bathing suits flying across the room, landing anywhere but inside of the open luggage on the floor.

"Packing!" she reminded him.

"But Greece isn't until the weekend love, it's only Monday…" Harry laughed. She popped out of their closet looking exasperated.

"But I have to have everything perfect! I mean…I don't know which swimsuits to bring…I have to look good!" she whined helplessly and Harry raised an eyebrow.

"You have to look good? For whom, love? It's a girl's only weekend…yes?"

"Yes of course Harry but you know how I get…" she laughed. She was, after all, the fashion maven out of her group of friends. And she had been looking for an excuse to bring out all of her impulse summer buys that she never had a chance to wear in England's weather.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better you can model your swimsuits for me later and I will help pick out the ones you should bring. And of course they will be full body wetsuits so no one else can see you…," he winked at her and she chucked a pair of jeans at him playfully as he dodged.

"What did you say about work baby?" she asked.

"Just that I was headed out, but I can spare a few moments for some breakfast if you want to come out of the mess you made of our room," he laughed and she followed him out to the kitchen and began chopping up some fruit for a quick breakfast with yogurt. She handed Harry a bowl of it and he dug in gratefully.

"I don't know what you'd do without me Harry…" Ginny laughed as he ate like a starved man. He hardly ever bothered to fix himself breakfast as he was usually out the door before she was awake and he had no cooking skills whatsoever.

"Die," he smiled, "Is Hermione going on the trip with you girls?"

"Dunno. Haven't heard either way from her. I really think she should. She needs to get away from her mess of a love life," Ginny sighed, taking Harry's now-clean bowl and washing it up in the sink.

"Gin that's your best friend…"

"And? She just needs to hurry up and be with Remus already and stop dragging Sirius around!"

"Remus? No no no. I never thought I'd actually say this but she belongs with my Godfather. They are practically made for each other!" Harry retorted, looking at his petite wife as if she suggested Hermione marry a hippogriff.

"Harry James Potter, her and Sirius are terrible together! They are just tabloid magnets. He's like an overgrown child…I mean, don't get me wrong I love the man to death but 'Mione needs someone who can take care of her," Ginny reasoned and Harry started to get defensive. He forgot all about being on his way to work.

"Sirius can take care of her, better than anyone I reckon…"

"Emotionally, Harry. Not monetarily. I know he acts like he's grown up and responsible…but they've only been together what…a couple months? Don't tell me his playboy habits have disappeared!" Ginny argued back with her husband. She felt strongly about the matter, and she was surprised they hadn't really talked about it before.

"Well what makes you so sure Remus is the one for her?" Harry questioned.

"They are so much alike…smart, dependable, accountable…" she listed off and he rolled his eyes.

"That's bloody boring!" Harry laughed, "I feel like I've already lost Hermione half the time since her and Ron broke up. The last thing I want to lose her to is a damn library which they would probably move into together…"

"Oh stuff it Harry, they would make a cute couple. Wasn't it you who was all concerned in the first place about her sleeping with Sirius? If I recall correctly you almost had a heart attack over the matter!"

"Maybe I did, but I've done some thinking and I think they would work out nicely. Besides, then I can have her as a real sister. She's been there for me from the beginning," Harry shrugged and Ginny couldn't help but laugh once more.

"She'd actually be more like a step-mother to you…" she told him with a wink, because after all-Sirius was the father figure in his life.

"You know what I mean Gin, she'd be real family, finally…."Harry shook his head, moving to gather his things as he took a look at the clock.

"She would have been family if my brother hadn't been such a prick," Ginny replied darkly, "Let's just agree to disagree that either of them is better than Ron. But I still think she needs to figure things out before she breaks a heart too badly…or gets hers broken when one of them gives up."

"My wife is so very wise," Harry grinned, bending to kiss her before saying a final goodbye and heading out the door, although he made a note to stop by and see Sirius as soon as he could—to tell his Godfather to hurry up and seal the deal already.

**000**

Sirius awoke that very same Monday morning with a groan and a throbbing headache. Before he even opened his eyes he knew things were very wrong. First of all, it was a weekday, and there was a definite presence in his bed besides him—which didn't make sense considering Hermione would be at Hogwarts probably in the middle of teaching her first class of the day. Secondly, he was fully clothed. He felt stuffy and confined in the bed under the sheets in the clothes he was wearing the night before. That wasn't how he slept—and then he started to remember the night before. Sirius didn't dare open his eyes while he tried to piece it together, but all he could remember was multiple firewhiskey shots with the twins. Nothing else stood out.

"Siri baby, you alright?"

It wasn't Hermione's sweet voice. It was older and annoying but unfortunately familiar. He nervously opened his eyes and found Angelika lying in bed next to him, in much less clothes than he was. It took him less than a second to get out of the bed and he stood on the other side of it, looking at her in shock.

"What. The. Fuck. Are. You. Doing. Here?" Sirius' voice was a dark staccato. She didn't seem surprised or concerned about his anger. She just stretched lazily in his bed, her short blonde hair mussed up.

"I saw you out at the pub last night. You were piss drunk and you had no idea what was going on. I wanted to make sure you got home okay but those two red-headed twits you were with gave me a big to-do about how you were seeing someone and they were yelling and causing a scene. But I knew you weren't in a relationship…I know you too well and after all if you were, why would you be out getting smashed?" she giggled, "They ended up seeing someone else they knew and I got you home before they could call me any other awful things. I just thought after we got rid of your hangover we could catch up?"

Angelika said the last bit with more than a hint of flirtation to her voice. She pulled back the sheets and showed him that she was just in her lacy underthings. Sirius quickly looked down. He knew he was in a mess and he wanted her out as quickly as possible.

"Leave," he said.

"What is going on with you?" she asked, looking thoroughly confused. "I know we haven't talked in a while…since you had me over to try and prove a point to that dumb little girl that was living with you… but I miss you…."

"That '_dumb little girl'_ just happens to be my incredibly gorgeous and perfect girlfriend. And if you insult her one more time you'll regret it. What we had is long over Angie so get the fuck out of my house!" Sirius yelled. It caused his head to pound more but he didn't care. If he had to drag her out, he would do it.

"So all the rumors are true then? Those daft articles? It's all real? You really are fucking that mousy little witch?" she seemed a bit hurt, and Sirius figured why. Out of all the birds he had gone through after his first love, Angelika had been the closest to turning into anything serious. But he thought they had turned into friends. Nothing had happened between them in ages.

"I will not have you speaking bad about Hermione in my presence. Now have you suddenly lost your hearing? I said get out! I don't want to ever see you again!" he pointed to the door. She finally moved and crawled out of the bed. She started dressing in her clothes that were on the leather chair in his room. He didn't watch, just crossed him arms and tapped his foot impatiently.

"You have really lost it Sirius…" she mumbled and he didn't reply. When she was finally finished and slipping her heels on, he opened up the door to his room and motioned for her to walk out it. She huffily pushed past him and walked towards the front of the flat.

"We didn't…." he whispered as he opened that door for her as well. He figured they hadn't done anything but he had to make sure. Angelika smiled sadly and shook her head.

"No, we didn't." she said disappointedly, "Good luck with _her_…"

Sirius didn't bother to respond. He just slammed the door in the face of everything that represented his old life. He wanted that all behind him.

**000**

Hermione sat at her desk at the head of her class grading scrolls of parchment as her third years were taking an exam. She could barely concentrate on anything. She and Remus had barely talked since breakfast and she was feeling the strain of their fight the night before. He had seemed distant at breakfast and although he had apologized, he made it clear that he wasn't ready to have that talk with her for a while yet.

Remus was on his free period, sitting in his office and attempting to get things done but his mind kept drifting to his girlfriend. Although he had warred with himself the night before after she had left and promised that he would start respecting himself more to have the confidence to know he was worth her time-he just couldn't bring himself to commit to it that morning. He had reverted to the place he was during his relationship with Tonks, somewhere between the first and second times he had proposed to her, where he felt unworthy as a man and a lover.

He knew Hermione wouldn't have brought up the idea of marriage if she wasn't looking in that direction and he really couldn't blame her. She was old enough and would be a great wife. But the thought of marriage only served to remind him of the two painful times he presented a ring to Tonks and was shut down while on bended knee. If Hermione turned him down for Sirius, he didn't know what he would do.

It was at that very moment, as he looked across the empty room and seriously considered just throwing it in and letting his best mate have her. There was no doubt in Remus' mind that Sirius loved Hermione and he could easily provide her the things she wanted and needed. They could have a nice life with normal children and a relationship that didn't have to be interrupted by his monthly curse. All he would have to endure would be the wedding-where Remus figured he could just get blasted and spend a few weeks getting over her and it would all be fine.

Yet before he could completely talk himself out of her, something inside nagged at him. He didn't know if it was the wolf, or maybe just the tiniest bit of confidence that had somehow latched into his brain since dating Hermione-but he didn't want to give up. He hadn't given up even after decades of dealing with his lycanthropy. He hadn't given up with Tonks and had pursued her almost stupidly until it was clear she didn't want him. And now he wouldn't give up on most likely his last chance at a wonderful love. He opened the drawer of his desk and looked at the box that housed the necklace he had bought Hermione for her upcoming birthday.

Remus so badly wanted to give it to her early, but he knew her birthday would be the best time to really re-iterate to her that she was "the one" for him. The wolf in him knew it, and he knew it and loved it despite all of his better judgments about himself.

**000**

"What in the bloody world…" Sirius grumbled as the door was being pounded on rather frantically. He had just managed to drink away his hangover with a potion and was currently reeling over how he managed to get himself into that awful situation last night. He silently vowed that he wouldn't be drinking with the Twins for a long while—and he secretly hoped that they were the ones knocking on his door so he could set them straight about letting him go home with jealous exes.

He swung open the door and saw one of the last people he wanted to see. His baby cousin Dora walked into the penthouse apartment with her hair transfigured into a short blonde pixie which was unfortunately all too telling.

"I am not even going to bother asking how you managed to get the new key code," he sighed as she changed her hair promptly back to bubblegum pink.

"Had a lovely chat with the woman who was leaving your place…Angie I think it was? She's cute Sirius…" his cousin said snarkily, but he was too exhausted to think of something rude to say back.

"Say what you have to say and get out…you are turning my bad morning into a worse one _Nymphadora_…" he pronounced her given name slowly just to piss her off. She bristled.

"Look, I think you'll rather like what I have to say. From what I gathered from your blonde friend, you are quite smitten with Hermione?"

"Of course."

"And I want my boyfriend back. You are a smart man. You can see where I am going with this, can you not?" she raised an eyebrow, "All of this bullshit of her dating both of you is ridiculous. Don't you agree?"

"Well, I'm not a fan of the situation…" he shrugged and sat down on one of the barstools by the kitchen island. He took a moment and surveyed the dark, determined look in her eyes. She truly was a woman on a mission.

"So…make her yours and yours alone. I know Remus will want me back if she's not standing in his way…." Tonks suggested, her hands on her hips, and even though Sirius was tired and confused he couldn't help but be livid by her proposal.

"If you think for one second I would do anything to sabotage Remus and Hermione's relationship out of a favor to you…you are mistaken. In our case baby cousin, blood is not and never will be thicker than water," Sirius stated and her eyes glared at him in equal anger.

"How can you say that? When have you not given everything your all and gotten what you want? Our family always gets what we want and I will be damned if I don't marry Remus," she spat and at that moment Sirius couldn't have hated her more than he already did.

"As far as I am concerned, from this moment forth you are not my family. And I'd rather have Hermione with Remus than ever see you on his arm. You are a selfish whore who couldn't appreciate the best thing in your sad, empty life. You broke my best friend's heart to the point of no repair and I would gladly concede Hermione to him if that was what she wanted," he stood up, towering over her dangerously and he meant every word from the bottom of his heart.

"You are fooling yourself Sirius. We both know she'll pick you in the end. After all, he took the last woman you loved from you and I doubt you'll let that happen again. As much as you don't want to admit it, you and I are one in the same," she shrugged, winking at him before turning her back and walking towards the door, "Think about it cousin!" she called over her back.

"Go to hell Dora!" he called back in the same sing-song voice she used, mocking her. She flipped her pink hair over her shoulder and left. Sirius went to the living room and collapsed onto the couch. He had more than enough things to think about.

**A/N: Uh oh, drama central! Please leave me reviews…I'm wondering who you guys think she will end up with! There's still time to sound off! **


	26. Old Stories and New Beginnings

**A/N: Yay! More goodness! Enjoy! xx**

"I'm so glad you are here Harry, thank you," Sirius said sincerely, hugging his Godson tightly as he came through the apartment doors. Harry seemed a bit confused, but hugged Sirius back. All he knew was that an urgent letter accompanied by an even more urgent owl had found him at the Ministry of Magic and Harry had taken the rest of the day off for the mysterious 'thing' Sirius had requested him for.

"Of course, it's not a problem…but I'd like to be pulled out of the dark here…" Harry, now released from Sirius' hug, joked. He couldn't help but notice his Godfather looked rather dapper for a Thursday afternoon. He was wearing a perfectly tailored black suit with a light grey shirt underneath that complimented his stormy eyes nicely.

"Today is a momentous day, and I wouldn't dare have you miss it!" Sirius clapped Harry- who had never seen him happier-on the back.

"Because….?"

"Because I need your help with one of the biggest decisions of my life, and who better to ask than the man who got everything right?" Sirius beamed and before Harry could ask any more questions, he took his arm and they side-along apparated to Diagon Alley. Sirius started off in a hurried gait up towards Gringotts.

"Sirius…what has gotten into you?" Harry said, half-laughing, half completely concerned for the mental health of the man he looked up to more than anything in the world. He looked so determined and ecstatic at the same time as the pair strode into the quiet hall of the bank. They walked up to the first empty station with a very imposing looking goblin and Sirius presented him his wand for inspection and his bank card.

"How much would you like to withdraw today Mr. Black?" the goblin asked in a crackly drawl. With a smirk, Harry watched his Godfather write a rather large sum of Galleons onto the slip of paper he was handed and push it back to the goblin who raised his eyebrows in surprise. The short creature nodded and hurried off to collect the gold.

"5,000 Galleons? Sirius that's enough for…"

"A really big purchase. Yes, I think so," Sirius winked down at Harry who still wasn't sure what this little trip was all about.

"That you want to pay for in 5,000 Galleons…?"Harry asked again and his Godfather just laughed. A few moments later multiple goblins came back carrying heavy bags of the gold, setting them up on the counter for Sirius to inspect. He opened one of the bags and ran his fingers through the shining coins before closing it back up, nodding to the goblin in charge. After a few quick signatures, the goblins were magicking the bags to fit nicely into a black attaché case before handing them over to Sirius.

"Always a pleasure," the goblin said without any pleasure at all. Sirius didn't bother to say goodbye as he walked with Harry back out into the beautiful afternoon sun and they took a turn down the right side of the alley, towards Sirius' favorite shops-the ones that were a bit out of budget for most witches and wizards.

"Why can't you just use your card for whatever you are buying?" Harry looked down at the black case and Sirius smiled happily again. In fact, he had been grinning like a loon since Harry had arrived. After all, only about a dozen wizards had Gringott's bank cards. They only gave them out to those who had more money in the bank than it was ever worth to withdraw; Harry and Sirius being two of the privileged few.

"Because my dear boy, I want to remember this moment forever, and a swipe of a card just doesn't hold enough weight for me…" he replied before making a sharp turn and opening the door to the small jewelry shop on the street that always had masses of window-shoppers but rarely any buyers. It was all starting to come together for Harry, who now donned a happy smile as well.

"Mr. Black, what a lovely surprise!" the man behind one of the gorgeously lit display cases grinned. Sirius was a regular customer, but never for traditional jewelry—only for making his cufflink collection the most extensive in Britain. The man started for the adornments Sirius typically shopped for but Black raised a hand to stop him.

"Something different today Joseph, something a bit more special," Sirius told him as he and Harry approached the counter. Sirius placed the attaché case there for safekeeping as he started to browse the displays that he had never once looked at-the ones for engagement rings. He stared for a moment before leaning over the counter and whispering something to Joseph that Harry couldn't quite discern. But in a few seconds after a few quick flicks of Joseph's wand—the shop windows turned opaque black and the sign outside the shop flipped from 'open' to 'close'. Harry nodded in agreement—with the paparazzi and Skeeter following Sirius as of late, the last thing he would want would be to spoil any surprises.

Joseph gave a look of awe to Harry, clearly noting who he was and their important relationship before beginning to pull out all sorts of rings for them to look at.

"I can't believe you are really proposing to her," Harry said as he perused the options.

"Me either, but it just feels right. I want to do it on her birthday. And it's going to be perfect," Sirius said confidently.

"I'm actually really glad you asked me to come, I had been planning on talking to you about Hermione and what you wanted with her and I really am so happy for you," Harry smiled up at him and Sirius gave him a look that was on the verge of happy tears and decided not to speak lest it give his emotions away.

"What do you think this special witch of yours would like?" Joseph prompted.

"It needs to be exquisite and unique, just like her. I want no other woman in the world to have the same thing…and…and…I dunno, that's why you're here Harry," Sirius laughed and Harry started to regard the options laid out in front of him more seriously. He rejected a few that he knew Hermione would hate, and thought about the experience of picking out his ring for Ginny. It needed to match Hermione's personality.

"She's not going to want anything too flashy Sirius, you know that…"

"I do. But I want her to have the biggest damn rock money can buy, because I love her and the world should know it," he replied stubbornly. Harry laughed as Joseph left them alone with the few choices they now had left.

"She's not going to care what it looks like, she's just going to care that you are asking," Harry reminded his Godfather who nodded as his eyes darted back and forth between two remaining rings, both of which Joseph had insisted were one of a kind.

"This one." Sirius said finally, picking up the ring with the smaller diamond (although by any normal standards it was huge). The platinum holding the stone in place had delicate twists and curves that gave the right amount of femininity to the princess cut stone in the center. It was breathtaking. Harry nodded his agreement quickly.

"It's her," Harry smiled. He had known Hermione for years and years now, and it just felt right. He felt privileged to be a part of the process.

"We'll take it," Sirius nearly yelled in excitement and made the transaction with the bags of gold that Joseph gladly took off his hands. 4, 763 Galleons lighter, Sirius and Harry walked out of the jewelry shop with the ring in a little black box that Sirius safely stowed in his jacket pocket. Together they walked back down the Alley, with Harry enjoying the spring he could visibly see in Sirius' step. The man was like a little boy on Christmas morning.

They decided to stop at the Leaky for lunch and grabbed an inconspicuous booth in the back of the pub, thankful it wasn't very crowded so they could converse in peace.

"I don't mean to be a downer Sirius, but are you sure Hermione is going to say yes? What about…." The word 'Remus' was about to leave Harry's lips but Sirius stopped him.

"I don't know if she's going to say yes, and I know it's all a bit fast. It just feels so perfect Harry and I have to take this chance. For myself. I haven't felt like this in 27 years and I think that today, it is high time you knew that story," Sirius said. Harry was all-ears, having picked up on Sirius' hints and mentions of some mysterious woman that existed long before for years now. He had gathered that it had been the last time Sirius was in love, but he had also known not to ask about it.

"Now, only two people in the world know the story of myself and Marlene McKinnon. And you will be the third. Harry- your father didn't even know. And I trust it will stay this way?" Sirius asked, looking slightly concerned.

"Of course," Harry assured him, smiling briefly up at the waitress who brought them their butterbeers before Sirius began.

"She was an amazing girl, and I fell so fast. There had been so many meaningless girls before her, and when she came along, I finally understood what your mum and dad had. It finally clicked. 'Love' wasn't a crock of dragon's piss anymore—it was _real_, and I fell in love with Marlene after about six months of working with her for the Order. We spent nearly every day together before things really got out of hand with Voldemort and the Death Eaters. I wanted to ask her to marry me, but I never had the chance. The last person who saw her alive was Remus…" Sirius said his best friend's name in a tone that Harry had never heard associated with Lupin before. There was anger there, jealousy even.

"Was he _with_ Marlene?" Harry asked cautiously.

"I don't know. I've never asked. One day we were together and perfectly in love. The next day she was killed brutally by Travers. Remus stepped up and admitted that she had swung by his flat a few hours before her death. I was too blinded by sadness and anger to confront him," Sirius shrugged, "He doesn't even know I was in love with her. Everyone was too caught up in their own shit at that time to really focus on anyone else seriously. They all assumed of course, and they were right. And I've forgiven him—gotten over it—whatever you want to say. But I missed her for years, still do. And no one has even come close to comparing to her until now."

"Sirius I'm so sorry…" Harry sighed. It was a whole new part of Sirius' history that was being unfolded for him.

"We all lost loved ones during the war. She was my first love, and there will always be that 'what if'…and it just makes things harder for me with Remus, because I know he loves Hermione too. And I don't know if Marlene loved him…I mean, what if she did? I'll never know…."

"You should ask him," Harry suggested and Sirius shook his head quickly.

"Sometimes he brings it up like he knows…and when Tonks came over the other day she mentioned something about Marlene and I couldn't figure out why she would know…" Sirius furrowed his eyebrows. He had guessed maybe Tonks and Remus had discussed it when they were together.

"Wait Tonks came by your place?" Harry asked quickly.

"Shit, Harry—I forget I never see you anymore. Yeah, she came over Monday morning and threw a fit about Remus and how I should let him be with her by taking away Hermione from him and a bunch of other nonsense," Sirius sighed. That whole encounter had been weighing on his mind. Harry nodded solemnly.

"Well, I still think you should ask Remus, and have closure about it, so you really can make a fresh start with Hermione. I just want you guys to have a fighting chance and as much as I'm glad you told me about Marlene, I don't want it to come between you and my best friend in the same way it's clearly come between you and yours," Harry said wisely and Sirius was once again impressed by his Godson. He was just like James in some ways, but in many ways so much more level-headed.

"You're right, as usual…and that is why I wanted to ask, if this all goes well—if you'd be my best man, Harry?" the animagus' face was hopeful and boyish and Harry instantly agreed. They clanked their half-empty butterbeer glasses together as a toast.

"Thanks, Sirius," Harry said quietly after a few moments and there was a bit of a mist in the older man's eyes. Sirius nodded back to the messy-haired man sitting across from him, sniffed back his emotion and continued on a happier note.

"I think she wants children, and I think I do as well," he smirked at the thought of raising a family with Hermione. It would be a challenge, but it would be wonderful.

"You? Want kids?" Harry nearly choked on his gulp of butterbeer and then proceeded to laugh as Sirius crossed his arms in a full-blown pout.

"Why does everyone constantly have the worst expectations of me? I'm not that bad!"

Harry and Sirius laughed and continued on their lunch with an air of cheerfulness for the things to come.

**000**

Hermione sighed deeply as she walked out of her classroom after a few straggling 5th year Ravenclaw's. She was happy to have an hour to herself and decided it would do her nerves good to take a walk by the lake. As she walked towards the large doors of the castle, she thought about how happy she was that things had started to go so well with Remus again. After her little tiff with him on Sunday, he had really seemed to make an active effort to not mope around constantly and he had stopped mentioning that he was 'worthless' altogether. In fact, they had had a few pleasant, albeit short, conversations about the future in the last few days and Hermione was hopeful. It seemed that both of her men were now on the same page and all she had to do was buckle down and decide so as to not prolong the hurt of one of them any longer. As much as she would like to continue on with both of them in this blissful state—she knew it was fleeting and that sooner rather than later, feelings were going to become too much to handle.

She vaguely wondered if Remus would be on the grounds as well, as on nice days such as this one, he loved to soak up the sun on that beautiful skin of his. A small smile crept up her face as she thought about her lover and stepped out onto the grass to begin towards the lake. Hermione walked in thoughtful silence for a few moments before she caught a familiar voice being carried on the light breeze. Pausing to look around, she saw Remus in conversation down the hillside. She shifted curiously to see who he was talking to. It looked like a rather intense conversation and whoever he was with was standing very close to him. Walking a few more paces down the hill, Hermione saw a flash of bubblegum pink hair peeking from behind Remus' robes and he stomach dropped. Tears instantly filled her eyes.

_That bitch was here…at Hogwarts…on the grounds…hugging her boyfriend…_

Hermione couldn't even fathom it. And he wasn't pushing her away. They were talking about something in low voices still, the deep octave of his speech could still be heard but she turned on her heel and nearly ran back to the castle. All she could think about was her plan of action—finish out her last class and then go to the only other place she wanted to be—Sirius'.

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed! Please review if you have read! You guys are THE BEST! xx**


	27. The Trouble With Love

**A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks for reading!**

_Ginny,_

_If it's still alright, can I come with you and the girls to Greece tomorrow? I only have one class in the morning and I can be ready to go by 11 sharp. I've decided I really do need a girls' weekend after all._

_-H_

Hermione folded up the note and attached it to her owl's foot, sending it off as she gathered her bag and wrapped a scarf around her neck as an afterthought to combat the chill that was starting to lace the September nights. Although she was sad she hadn't seen Remus the rest of the afternoon, she was thankful for it in a way. She didn't know if she could handle facing him after seeing him embracing Tonks like that.

She trudged up to the apparition point and with a deep breath she thought hard of the front door to the penthouse and with a 'pop' she was there seconds later. Flying through the door, she looked around for Sirius. She had never wanted to be in his arms more than she did at that very moment and he came walking out of the living room with a huge smile on his face.

"Kitten, you're home!" he grinned, opening his arms so that she could collide happily with his chest and fold them back around her. She did just that and they stood in the foyer hugging for a few moments. Soon her embrace on him tightened and he began to hear stifled sobs seconds before feeling wetness on his shirt. Sirius pulled back from her, placing a finger under her chin to raise her eyes to his and he found them red and teary.

"'Mione, what happened?"

"It's…it's Remus…"

"Hold on…Remus upset you?" Sirius asked with wide-eyes. He took his loves' hand in his and led her to his bedroom where he gently picked her up in his arms and placed her on the soft bed. He snuggled up there next to her and now she was crying openly.

"Yes, I mean I don't want to jump to conclusions but this thing with Tonks is getting a little out of control. I forgave him for meeting up with her for closure, but this afternoon she was at Hogwarts and they were whispering about something on the grounds and they looked like more than just exes—Sirius they looked together…"

"Love, calm down, it's alright…" he kissed her forehead and her crying ceased for a few seconds before coming back in waves when he pulled away. It hurt him deeply that Remus was falling for his cousin's tricks and of course that Hermione had to suffer through it. But in a small way it also broke his heart that she was so distraught over Remus—he wondered if she would cry over him in the same way…

"No, it's not alright! This whole thing is a mess. I wish I never moved in here!" she cried in an outburst of frustration, but her eyes told Sirius that she really didn't mean it. He tried to hug her closer. Sirius had never been too good with crying girls, but he was trying to learn as fast as he could.

"If Remus wants to be with her then he is a fool for letting you go. I'm so sorry you are upset Hermione, what can I do?" he asked pleadingly. He just wanted her to be okay. And to punch Remus in the face. But mostly for her to be okay.

"I don't know…I don't even know what to do! I didn't anticipate falling in love with both of you…and I know I should talk to him, but I don't even want to. I don't think he wants a future with me Sirius, and I can't compete with Tonks—she's the one that he always wanted…"

"But he wanted to mark you, I mean, doesn't he?"

"He hasn't mentioned it in a while. I know I love him, but am I in love with him anymore?"

"Love, maybe you should just talk to him," Sirius suggested. It was taking all of his strength to tell her to be fair and to give Remus the benefit of the doubt when he wanted her all to himself. The engagement ring nestled in his dresser drawer was proof of that.

"No," Hermione said, sitting up on the bed and leaning over Sirius. She wiped away the remaining tears and sniffled a little, "I've been so blind. Here you are…taking care of me while I cry to you about him and you are being so sweet. And the first person I thought to come to is you. I have to stop being afraid, and I have to tell you that I want you Sirius."

Sirius felt like the bed had gave way out from under him. He didn't know what to do as he looked up at the beautiful witch looking down at him.

"Hermione, I know this is hard…"

"Hard? It's been bloody confusing as hell! But I'm not the only one involved. I feel like he's been stringing me along now while I've been stringing you along…but I love you. And I'm in love with you and I don't want to do this anymore I just want you," Hermione said and leaned down to kiss Sirius hard on the lips. Her heart and her mind were still warring with her and she knew she hadn't really made up her mind but she also knew that she was seriously considering never trusting Remus again and without trust, they could have no future.

Sirius didn't object. They weren't conventionally what he had wanted to hear from her mouth, but the words worked well enough and he kissed her back passionately, bringing her down to lay on his chest. They both broke away for a second and the look that passed between them was intense and emotional. Slowly and almost reverently he stripped off her blouse. It was like he was looking at her with fresh eyes, and he nearly fell apart underneath her, she was just so beautiful. Her pale, creamy skin seemed to glow in the dim light of his bedroom and her soft lips met his again.

They moved in a slow but synchronized rhythm, undressing each other like they had never seen one another before and kissing with a whole new meaning. It was as if Hermione declaring that she only wanted him changed their whole dynamic. He wasn't just flirty, charming, sex-god Sirius—he was a man in love and he wanted to show her that she was precious.

He suddenly, for the first time in a very long time, felt self-conscious. As he moved beneath her he worried he wasn't good enough for her. If his hair was too untidy and if he was just too old. That was usually Remus' arena—self-loathing—but Sirius suddenly felt like no match for the goddess on top of him who was holding him tightly and sighing his name sweetly into his ear. She was perfect. She always had been and she always would be.

This time when he entered her, Sirius felt like he could never again be happier or so fulfilled. He knew he had made love to her before—but now that he felt she was truly and only his, and that in a few days' time he would be slipping a ring on her finger and asking her to be his wife—he felt like all was right in the world, that all of the shit he had gone through was finally worth this one moment in time.

He caressed her skin lovingly as he moved within her and he held her close. The only thing he was concerned about was her, and if she felt good, and if she was happy—and he knew by that, that he was officially a changed man. A man he was proud to be.

They made love for an hour, slow and sweet—as if it was both their first time and last time rolled into one. For the first time since they had been together, Sirius and Hermione came at exactly the same moment and it moved her to tears. She relaxed onto his chest, both of them panting, and her blinking back tears of happiness. They didn't have to say anything for the other to know exactly how they felt.

"Sirius I don't know what to say…" Hermione smiled as she rolled off of his body and curled up next to him on the bed.

"I love you…and if that wasn't perfection, then I don't know what is," he brushed her hair off of her face softly and smiled at her. She giggled and pushed closer to him.

"Ow!"

"What is it love?"

"Fuck…" she whispered to herself as she sat up on the bed with her arm reaching around her back. She found the offending sharp item that was digging into her back and brought it up to her eyes in the dim room to examine it.

It only took two seconds for everything that was perfect in that moment to disappear.

Hermione knew the implications of what she was holding immediately_. An earring. She didn't wear earrings. And even if she did, it wouldn't be gaudy like this with a fake stone in it. No. Another woman had been in his bed._ Tears of pain instantly replaced her tears of happiness.

Sirius went pale as he saw the offending piece of jewelry between Hermione's small fingers. His heart instantly broke; he knew that no amount of apologizing would ever make him look innocent at this point.

"So, who is she?"

"Hermione…please let me explain…"

"NO. Now I know why you really wanted Remus to move out…so you couldn't have him being the voice of reason when you were bringing home girls to cheat on me with!" her voice rose steadily until she was nearly hysterical. She tried to cover herself up with his sheets, suddenly not wanting to be naked and vulnerable around him at all.

"No, that's not it at all…I didn't even know…the Twins got me drunk and…"

"Not like I already don't have enough problems with Weasley boys," Hermione said, more to herself than anything, "And your drunkenness is no excuse. That almost makes it _worse_!"

"Nothing happened! I made her leave immediately I swear, I love you Hermione," Sirius reached for her hands but she pulled them way in disgust.

"I honestly feel like I am going to be sick. Everything that I tried not to believe about you…all those stories…all those times I felt insecure…but it's all true. You just can't keep it in your fucking pants can you? And I _obviously_ don't satisfy you sexually…" Hermione sniffed in some tears but her voice was cold and angry.

"You are more than enough for me Hermione, I swear I've been faithful to you since day one," he promised, and he knew it was true…but he also knew she didn't believe him.

"I trusted you! I came here after getting my heart broken by Remus and now come to find out you are shagging other women _and this is just too much_!" she screamed. Hermione hardly ever lost her temper, but she wanted to throw something at it. She had just admitted her deepest feelings and made a choice that she was proud of because Sirius hadn't hurt her…but she had spoken too soon. She threw on her shirt hastily.

"Hermione, I swear. Give me Veriteserum, you'll find I'm telling the truth, I could never cheat on you!"

"Sirius you are just a sex-addict and a drunk, and I should have believed everyone that warned me about getting involved with you, _God fucking dammit_ Sirius…" Hermione said, shaking her head. She felt like her heart was being ripped out and stomped on. And she wondered how many other woman had seen his bed since they had started seeing each other. She hurriedly buttoned her pants and walked out the door.

Sirius leapt after her, pulling his boxers on and following her out into the apartment. He was on the verge of tears himself. Everything he had ever wanted was walking away from him because of one stupid mistake and a misunderstanding that he knew he shouldn't have even made in the first place. Things had gone from blissfully perfect to destroyed in a matter of seconds.

"I don't ever want to see you again," she said simply before opening the door and closing it quickly behind her.

It wasn't until she was safe in her rooms at Hogwarts that she let herself dissolve into tears. She didn't know how long she had cried, and she hated that she had no one to go to—except maybe Ginny. But Remus and Sirius had been her friends and her lovers and that had all disappeared in a matter of hours.

She hugged her pillow tight to her body and cried herself to sleep.

**A/N: I know this is short-ish, but I wanted this chapter to stand alone. It really is a pivotal moment. Do you think Sirius and Hermione are done forever? What do you think will happen next? Only a few more chapters to come! Cheers **


	28. Forgiveness

**A/N: Almost to the end guys! Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter…so many of you! It was awesome!**

"Do you want another drink Hermione?"

"Hmm?"

"Another one of those yummy concoctions that taste vaguely like rosemary?" Luna's sleepy voice wafted over to Hermione. Her eyes were closed, even under her sunglasses and she had nearly been asleep. They had only been in Greece for a grand total of 6 hours and they were lying on the upper deck of a large boat in their bathing suits sunning and drinking. Ginny really did know how to plan a girls' trip alright.

"Yeah, I'll have another…" Hermione replied absently and she felt a presence besides her—probably one of the good-looking deckhands that Fleur had wrapped around her married fingers—set down a drink on the table next to her. She reached for it, wrapping her hand around the cold glass and tasting the spiked, fruity, slightly herby cocktail. It was her fourth or fifth, she couldn't remember. All she knew was that after what had happened back at Hogwarts and in London, her friends had suggested getting as drunk as possible. And that was precisely what she was doing.

The hot sun was kissing her pale skin in the dark blue bikini she was wearing. Her hair was pulled back and she sighed deeply as she sipped her drink and looked out at the crystal clear ocean off the coast. Luna was reading a book upside down to her left, Fleur was tanning on her stomach in the prettiest pale blue one piece, and Ginny was giggling tipsily with one of the ship-hands. She really was such a big flirt, even if everyone knew she would never cheat on Harry.

But apparently people cheated on Hermione. _First Ron, then Remus, then Sirius_…she listed off mentally…_what am I cursed?_ She asked herself and then had to immediately remind herself to relax, that she was hundreds of miles away from anyone that could upset her, and she was supposed to be enjoying a relaxing getaway with her girlfriends, who she honestly hadn't spent much time with in months.

Before Hermione knew it, she was sucking on nothing but ice and Ginny was quick to place another in her hands. Her head was swimming happily in free-thought from the alcohol but as she laid her head back down on the comfortable lounge, she was once again plagued with thoughts of her now ex-lovers, one of which didn't exactly know he was an ex yet, while the other should have gotten the memo loud and clear.

"_What in the world Hermione?! You can't just break up with my Godfather and go off to Greece!" Harry shouted at her when she had come over that morning to leave at the same time as everyone else._

"_She can if she wants to, it's a free world—thanks mostly to her…" Ginny shot her husband a scathing look._

"_I don't want to talk about Sirius, I just want to get away and clear my head," Hermione told her best friend who was running his hands through his messy black hair in an almost panicked way._

"_He was freaking the fuck out last night. He didn't cheat on you, I know he wouldn't!" Harry told her and Ginny was thankful that Luna and Fleur were running late._

"_Well the evidence begs to differ. And even if he didn't…hypothetically…," Hermione raised an eyebrow at the hopeful look passing over Harry's face, "There shouldn't have been a girl in his bed regardless."_

"_I agree," Ginny shrugged._

"_You two are so bloody stubborn…you saw him last night Gin…come on…." Harry begged his wife for back up. She knew it to be true—Sirius had spent most of the night before at the Potter's being miserable and on the verge of tears._

"_I have to side with my girl on this one. I'd be hacked off if I found a tacky earring in our bed!" Ginny said._

"_You are just siding with her on this because you want her to be with Remus!"_

"_I would appreciate it very much if you two would please stop talking about the two men I LEAST want to talk about in the entire world alright? I'm just as mad at Remus. He can have Tonks and Sirius can have his flavor of the day. But I am done with them!" Hermione yelled over both of them._

And that had been that. But the more Hermione drank and looked around at the three beautiful friends surrounding her all in happy and positive relationships-Hermione couldn't help but be frustrated. She knew she was self-sabotaging because she was scared, because somehow she didn't picture herself like the perfect housewife Fleur was, or the challenging partner to Harry that Ginny was, or the doting lover Luna was. No—Hermione had always valued her independence, even with Ron. But somehow by a twisted design of fate Sirius and Remus has turned her world upside, mixed up her heart, made her feel like she wanted to be devoted and attached to someone, and then broken both sides of her heart that had previously belonged to each of them separately.

Even being on a beautiful boat on a cloudless day on the waters off the coast of Greece was hell for Hermione.

**000**

"So, you went behind my back and made the biggest fucking decision of your life without even considering telling your best friend? I guess I know where I stand with you now Black…" Remus barged into the penthouse, looking like he had been stewing over whatever he was angry about for hours. Sirius was sitting at the kitchen table nursing his broken heart over some liberally spiked coffee. He was unshaven and looked up at the pissed-off werewolf with a sad sense of amusement.

"And what decision would that be mate? The biggest decision I made today was whether or not to put on clothes. As you can see, my lazy side clearly won out…" Sirius smirked, gesturing to his pyjama bottoms.

"Oh stuff it…you're _engaged_," Remus seethed and the gulp of coffee that had been currently residing in Sirius' mouth found its way out all over the table. The animagus sputtered in shock.

"_I am_?"

"Aren't you?"

"Merlin no…Hermione broke up with me last night. I was going to ask her to marry me…and I was going to tell you about it the next time I saw you…because I figured you were probably going to ask her the same thing and…well…I have the bloody ring so if you need proof…it sure as hell isn't on her finger…" Sirius explained. Remus looked greatly relieved.

"So you aren't engaged to her?"

"No…fuck Moony, who told you I was?"

"Take a wild guess," Remus' eyes suddenly went dark. He was putting it all together and wanted to kick himself for being so blinded by jealousy that he had actually believed Tonks when she had shown up at Hogwarts and told him she had witnessed Sirius proposing to Hermione and her saying yes.

Remus also hated that for a half a second, he had reconsidered a life with Dora because he felt that she was his only option. She had manipulated him once again by pitting him against his best friend.

"Fucking bitch," Sirius growled, getting up from the table, "She almost destroyed our friendship and lured you back in. She just won't give up!"

"Wait…Hermione broke up with you? Why?" Remus softened, and suddenly it was no longer jealousy at play between them, but genuine sadness for his friend. Over the course of their relationships with her, they had almost lost each other a few times.

"I fucked up, and I have to own up to it," Sirius nodded stiffly, bravely even—the look of a Gryffindor all over his face. Remus still couldn't believe it, "I got drunk with the Twins, and apparently Angie saw me at the bar, took me home, and expected us to shag in the morning when I had sobered up. I kicked her out and nothing happened, but yesterday Hermione came over crying about how she saw you and Tonks together and we were in my bed and…"

"You can stop there…" Remus held up his hand, that jealousy coming back in full force with an unpleasant twinge in his stomach.

"Oh stop…we were in my bed and she rolled over Angie's bloody earring that the slag probably left in there on purpose and started freaking out—and I can't blame her. She thought I cheated, and I tried to explain but she was just too upset. She dumped me and left and I bugged the Potter's all night but she went to Greece this morning I guess…" Sirius sighed.

"That explains the note I got. It was rather…terse…" Remus frowned. He had no idea Hermione had seen him and Tonks but should have figured as much since she had avoided him so well. And everything was all just one big misunderstanding.

"Yeah. So I'm currently single. And you are probably about to be as well…" Sirius tried to make the sad moment lighthearted. He picked up his drink from the table, "Cheers!"

"'Mione can be bloody stubborn. I can't imagine this has been easy on her, but it hasn't been easy on us either! I was literally this close to walking in here and punching your face in and not regretting it for a second," Remus tried to joke along with his best friend, but there was an undeniable edge of sadness in his tone.

"Remember at the very beginning of all of this-when we promised that no matter what, we wouldn't let this ruin our friendship Moony?" Sirius asked and Remus nodded, "Well, do you think we should stop this before it goes any further?"

They both stood in pensive silence. They had been best mates since their first day of Hogwarts, and in the last few months they had drifted apart to the point things just weren't the same anymore. But they also both knew it wasn't all to do with Hermione.

"I don't know yet Pads, but there is something I have to say. And it's about Marlene…" Remus said softly, almost apologetically and Sirius sat back down in his chair, taking a long gulp of his spiked coffee to brace himself. After 27 years, they were finally having this conversation.

"How do you know I loved her?" Sirius whispered.

"James was bloody oblivious, but Lily and I weren't, and we talked about it often _before_…well, we could see it in your eyes mate. And I wanted to be honest with you about the night she died, but you looked so devastated that I just couldn't bring myself to say anything. I always promised I would…but something always stopped me. And now I need to be a man," Remus' eyes were wide and sad.

"Did you…?"

"We didn't sleep together, no. She came to me that night because I think she knew she was in danger. She was asking me about you, and if I knew if you wanted to get married or have children. I think she wanted to run away from the war with you, and start a life. She clearly loved you so much, and I really don't blame her for wanting that," the werewolf continued. Sirius watched Remus contemplatively, with an impassive look on his face.

"But I had a crush on her," Remus continued, "I was naïve and stupid and I lost my puppy love of Lily to James and you were always getting the girls you wanted and Marlene was wonderful. I kissed her. It only lasted a moment and she pushed me away and cried, and she left in a hurry and the next thing I knew I was hearing that she was dead."

Sirius didn't say anything for a moment and then he slowly got up from his seat, walked over to Remus and hugged him hard.

"Thank you Moony."

"I'm sorry I betrayed you Pads, I really am," Remus said, a bit choked up. They both were, but it renewed their friendship. Sirius felt a weight lift off his shoulders. Marlene had really been in love with him until the end and Remus had finally owned up to his jealousy and that guilt was off his shoulders. Both men released each other, grinning.

"Marauder's for life," Sirius smiled at Remus.

"And now that that is taken care of, I think we both have a little brunette witch to apologize to!"

"To Greece?" Sirius asked.

"To Harry's, I'm sure he has the apparition coordinates. Then to Greece," Remus grinned, pulling his friend out the door with him.

**000**

"Hermione, you look gorgeous!" Fleur complimented her as the blonde swished around the large bathroom of their suite overlooking the shoreline. All four girls were getting ready for a fancy dinner out.

"Thanks," she blushed in reply. Luna was curling her hair with a few charms and Ginny was finishing painting her toenails a pretty shell pink.

Hermione turned to look at herself in the floor length mirror and found that she did look quite good. She had magicked her hair long and straight, put on a little mascara and pink lipgloss, and slipped into the midnight blue dress that Sirius had bought for her so long ago, the dress she had intended to wear out with Remus, but instead she was here in Greece with her best girlfriends, and seriously contemplating breaking up with Remus when she got home since she had already dumped Sirius.

And the very thought of dumping Remus and the fact that Sirius was now out of her life made her eyes well up with tears. She quickly blinked them back and focused on the night ahead of her.

"Are you all ready?" Luna asked airily. She was wearing a pale yellow chiffon dress and looked so grown up and downright heart-stopping. In fact, all of them were sure to break hearts tonight.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Hermione whispered under her breath as Ginny cheered a little too enthusiastically as they all grabbed their small purses and began to walk downstairs. The four girls made their way down the moonlit street, laughing and talking and for a few minutes Hermione put all of her worries out of her mind. They walked to a small but fancy restaurant on the corner and the girls shuffled in, Hermione bringing up the rear, but she paused when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

It was a slightly familiar touch, and she turned around—completely forgetting about the girls—to face Ron Weasley.

"Ron…what are you doing here?" Hermione stammered. He was dressed up fancier than she had ever seen him look. He was wearing a black suit and tie and his hair was tamed and his eyes were bright.

"I needed to see you. We need to talk. And I got the apparition coordinates from the Burrow—Ginny left a copy there in case of an emergency. And this is one, for me anyway," he blushed. He reached out to take her hands but she pulled them slightly away.

"I know you are furious with me. The things I said to you and about you were horrific and I am a stupid prick. Cheating on you and leaving you were the worst decisions of my life. I have always loved, you…but it is true that you never fully realize what you have until it is gone. I miss you Hermione and I am _so _beyond sorry," Ron apologized, nearly crying. He looked to pathetically sad that she couldn't help but place a hand on his shoulder.

"Why her?" she whispered into the night. A few people walked past them on the sidewalk but the other three girls inside hadn't realized her absence yet. Or they did and were watching, Hermione couldn't tell.

"Honestly 'Mione, it's no excuse but she came onto me. I realize now that I was played like a bloody fool. All she wanted was Remus back, to make him jealous, and I was scared that I didn't know any better about girls cuz I've been in love with you my whole life. Like I said, I was stupid…" Ron blushed and she nodded, it made sense to her, but it still cut like a knife.

"…And the moment I knew you were with Sirius and Remus, I went crazy. I've been so bloody jealous, mostly because I know I'm immature and you need a smart man and I just can't compete with them, I know it, but I'm here to try…" Ron finished, lowering himself to one knee and hastily pulling out a little black ring box and popping it open. Inside was a thin gold band with a large sapphire in the middle exactly the color of her dress surrounded by two diamonds.

"Hermione Granger will you forgive me and do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

**A/N: Oh my goodness, what do you all think? I was floored to see how many reviews I got for the last chapter, so I can't wait to see what you guys think of this one! Love you all.**


	29. Knights in Shining Armor

"No!" Hermione yelped before she could stop herself. She had planned on giving him a very nice, diplomatic let-down, but her heart wouldn't let her. Ron Weasley had shattered that heart into a thousand pieces and her conscience decided that she didn't need to be nice about it.

"'Mione…?"

"I said no Ronald. Never in a million years! Not after everything you've done to me! How can you even come here and think I would say yes?" Hermione continued, red in the face from embarrassment. People on the street were starting to stop and stare at her outburst.

"We both made a mistake, that's why…" Ron was still on bended knee, holding the sapphire engagement ring shakily.

"_You _made a mistake, which led me to the best decision of my life…so I will thank you, but I can't accept your proposal," she shook her head firmly. Once it was her dream, but now the thought of marrying Ron made her stomach turn.

"I want to marry you,_ please_…" he looked a little bit scared as he asked, as if she held his fate in her hands but she reminded herself of the day he had told her he had cheated on her—the day that she knew she could never trust him again. _Once a cheater, always a cheater_, as Ginny would say.

"_NO_.."

"I believe the lady said no," Sirius said rather firmly as he walked towards the pair out front of the restaurant.

"Many times, actually. I think it's time for you to go Ron," Remus added, stepping out of the shadows as well. Hermione looked both relieved and angry to see them, but she was frozen there on the sidewalk as she gaped between them and Ron.

Ron slowly picked himself up off the ground, pocketing the ring, "Oh bloody hell—of course her knights in shining armor would be here to save the fucking day…"

"Watch that idiotic mouth of yours Weasley…" Remus nearly growled, his hand placed on his pocket to show Ron that he had his wand and was not afraid to use it.

"'Mione why aren't you….what? _What is all of this?"_ Ginny asked, her voice rising with each word as she came stumbling out of the restaurant on her towering heels. She was very surprised to see Ron there—and for that, Hermione was thankful.

"Ginevra, please," Sirius shot the red-head a look that screamed '_go back inside now'_, but the petite witch would have none of it.

"No! What part of _GIRLS WEEKEND_ do you lot not understand?" she shrieked and Hermione rolled her eyes. They really were becoming a scene now.

"We are only here because the village idiot couldn't control himself," Sirius gestured to Ron, obviously angry that Ginny had not left them alone.

"RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY, GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY BEST FRIEND ON HER BIRTHDAY TRIP SO HELP YOU!" Ginny shrieked just as Fleur and Luna came running outside and started in on futile attempts to calm her down. Ron looked shell shocked and Remus and Sirius looked furious.

"All of you stop it! Take her back inside- I'll be there in a second…" Hermione glanced pleadingly to Fleur who yanked the pouting Ginny off of the street. Hermione then grabbed Ron by the elbow and led him a few paces down the sidewalk to a turn off into a little alleyway.

"You broke my heart, and nothing is going to change the way I feel about that…no amount of sweet words can make me forget that you gave up on something great. I wish you all the best, but my answer is and always will be _no_," Hermione told Ron clearly and quietly. His face looked pained, but other than that he kept calm and nodded before turning away from her quickly and apparating with a loud 'pop' away into the darkness.

Hermione closed her eyes as a single tear fell from one of them and made a little path down her cheek. Remus and Sirius were by her in an instant, and she was glad that they had at least let her handle that on her own. They both wrapped their arms around her, enveloping her in a large hug.

"Why are you two here?" she pushed them both away after a moment, crossing her arms as her eyes flicked murderously between both men.

"Here to say sorry. We didn't know we'd find you getting proposed to," Remus shrugged, his hands sheepishly in his pockets.

"And I'm not going to let you dump me that easily without making you listen to the explanation of what really happened," Sirius told her.

"_Look_," she stood up straighter and tried her best to act intimidating even though she was crumbling inside, "I don't want to see either of you. I came on this trip to get away from everything. I need space to think. Both of you have hurt me so badly and I don't know why you think it is funny to act like you are saving the day here…okay? I'm not a damsel in distress and neither of you is shaping up to be my prince charming. So thanks…but I can take it from here…" Hermione rolled her eyes and walked past them back towards the restaurant, trying to hold back her tears. Both of them being there had really shaken her—and as mad as she was she couldn't help but still love them both.

"Hermione wait!" Remus caught up to her and touched her shoulder lightly. Sirius had urged his best friend to go after her and he did, but was a little taken aback at the cold look on her face when she spun around and met his eyes.

"I saw you with Tonks. Don't even try to deny it. Do you remember when I specifically asked you one thing…that I never wanted you to see her again? Well it may have been petty of me but I meant that, and you broke that promise Remus! How could you lead me on when you still have feelings for her?" Hermione started to cry openly now and Remus had to suppress the urge to wipe away her tears, but he knew her well enough to know not to touch her.

"I am so sorry. She came to me and told me some terrible news…that turned out to be a lie. Sirius helped me realize she was just manipulating me, but I thought I had already lost you…I made a mistake…" Remus whispered to her, leaning in very close, his amber eyes pleading with her, "I don't love her, I love you."

Hermione couldn't hold out. She believed him and knew he hadn't hurt her on purpose, she could tell from the sincerity in his gaze and the fact that he had come here to tell her.

"Tell me she's out of your life," Hermione bit her lip as she waited for the answer.

"Forever," Remus promised, "And 'Mione, I'm not the only man here for you. Sirius didn't sleep with that girl—Angie—he made a mistake and ended up in a bad situation, but he would never betray you like that. We are both very sorry."

Hermione nodded, with a little glimmer of a smile as she looked behind Remus to see a very sorry looking Sirius standing patiently in the shadows behind them. She was glad Remus had made her see sense, otherwise she would have never known what really happened, seeing as how Sirius made her crazy.

After a few moments, Sirius joined the softly chatting pair and placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"We know you can handle yourself, and we are sorry we came all the way out here…but we love you too much and we needed to apologize," he smiled softly at her, "Now go and enjoy the rest of the trip. We will see you when you get back."

"And we will celebrate your birthday, love," Remus kissed her on the cheek and squeezed her hand. Sirius dropped a kiss on her forehead and both of them said goodbye, leaving as quickly as they had come.

Hermione took a deep breath before heading back into the restaurant. She had been proposed to her by her ex-boyfriend and had made up with both of her lovers in less than a half-hours time- and also ruined Ginny's meticulously planned dinner. She laughed at that last bit before sitting down to the table full of her girlfriends who were getting sufficiently sloshed enough that Ginny seemed in much better spirits.

**A/N: I know it's short…it originally wasn't planned this way…but there have been a lot of reviews and a lot of opinions and this is your VERY last chance to make a case for who you want Hermione to end up with. I will put it into consideration I promise, if you have a very good reason. The next chapter will be the last before an Epilogue and THERE WILL BE A PROPOSAL. So speak now or forever hold your peace **


	30. Happily Ever After

**A/N: Okay, so after this chapter…half of you will probably hate me, and hopefully the rest of you will love me. I took into consideration your wants in the reviews…and the number of people that wanted this coupled with my own reasons produced this chapter. Thank you for reading, and I truly hope you enjoy. It has been a pleasure to write this for you.**

Hermione walked through the entrance doors of Hogwarts looking slighter tanner and feeling refreshed. After all of the drama with Ron and his proposal and her two boyfriends showing up unannounced—she was sure the weekend had gone to shit in a matter of hours. But Ginny had prevented that from happening and the girls had carried on their lovely getaway without another peep from any of the men in their lives. They had all drunken a bit too much, had all tanned a bit too much, and had the best time despite the rocky beginning. Hermione had even managed to start thinking objectively about Sirius and Remus. She hadn't really come much closer to a decision…but she knew she would have to very soon.

When Hermione and the rest of the girls had arrived back at the Potters' after the trip (mostly to help Ginny haul in her massive amount of luggage), Harry had seemed rather suspicious. He had smirked when her birthday had been brought up, and seemed antsy. Harry Potter was probably the worst liar in the world, and not much better at keeping secrets. Whatever he was hiding, Hermione knew it had to do with her, her birthday, and that it was something big. For Merlin's sake the man could barely control himself. He looked pleased as pumpkin juice the entire time the girls were saying their goodbyes and laughing about the happenings of the weekend.

But Hermione was glad to be back in her familiar environment. She had popped by Sirius' to say a quick 'hello' and they had ended up snogging like two teenagers on the leather couch for half an hour. However, she had to be back at Hogwarts for her Monday afternoon class, and although she hadn't wanted to leave Sirius—she was more than eager to get back to her job and to Remus.

She nodded a polite hello to some Hufflepuff 5th years that were hurrying down the hallway opposite her before turning into the classroom that belonged to her favorite professor. She had fifteen minutes till the afternoon lessons commenced, but she couldn't hold out on not seeing his face till that night.

Remus sensed her presence almost immediately. He looked up at her from his book and the faint wrinkles around his warm, amber eyes upturned when he saw her. He was away from his desk in an instant, flicking his wand to shut and lock the door before embracing her in a tight hug.

"How was it sweetheart? I missed you! You look tan…" Remus bombarded her with questions and compliments and she just giggled in his arms. She felt happy and safe there as he tucked her brown curls behind her ears and kissed her forehead.

"I'm happy I went, but I missed you…" she smiled, giving him a lingering kiss and nibbling on his lower lip ever so slightly. He groaned at the contact and she pulled away a wink.

"Are you excited for tomorrow?" he continued, although he was now highly distracted.

"No," Hermione replied bluntly. Tomorrow was her birthday, and she had tried to convince everyone that since it was a Tuesday that there was no need to celebrate. Of course Sirius, Remus, Harry, and especially Molly would have none of her weak excuses.

"Don't write it off just yet, I think it will be a night to remember," he smiled at her.

"So I've been told," she rolled her eyes. She didn't like surprises.

"Oh look, you are going to be late for class…" Remus glanced at the clock and winked at her before turning back around to his own desk. She made her way out the door as some of his students started filing in, her mind on overdrive about what awaited her the next day.

**000**

_It was just a Tuesday. A stupid bloody Tuesday_ that started with a double period with the Slytherins. Hermione was cursing her birthday already, since the snakes were giving her a damned headache as they were constantly spouting off dirty words as translations for the set of runes she had given them to work on.

It also hadn't helped that she had awoken on her birthday to an empty, cold bed. Remus was nowhere to be found, and she didn't have any birthday mail from Sirius at breakfast-where Remus was also absent. She had jabbed at her eggs as Neville wished her a happy birthday but neither of her boyfriends were around at all. It was seriously frustrating, especially since they had both built it up like it would be the best day of her life. Hermione rubbed her temples as she looked out over the class of obnoxious 3rd years and decided to dismiss them early.

She trudged up, thoroughly annoyed, to her rooms to take a much needed bath and nap before Molly's dinner that night. When Hermione opened the door, she found Remus sitting on the bed surrounded by at least a dozen huge bouquets of sunflowers.

"They are kind of hard to find, so I had to take a little trip this morning. Sorry I couldn't be there when you woke up…but I know that you didn't want too much of a big deal made about your birthday, so I tried to wait until you had enough coffee…" Remus joked and handed her one of the flower arrangements. They were her favorite, and she hadn't seen fresh sunflowers in years. All of her annoyance and anger was gone and she hugged Remus before kissing him passionately. They fell back onto the flower-strewn bed, giggling.

"And I drew you a bath…and I thought we could nap before dinner?" he asked hopefully and her heart leapt.

"Are you inside of my mind or something? This is amazing Remus, thank you," she grinned. She knew he was no legillimens, he just knew her inside and out.

"You deserve to relax. Now take your time…enjoy it, I'll be right here when you get out," he told her in his soft voice and she rolled off of him, taking one of the bright sunflowers into the bathroom with her—placing it by the bath to brighten things up in the small little room and stripping off her robes. When she was undressed, she sunk happily into the perfectly warm bath with a happy sigh. She took her time washing her body and her hair and although she desperately wanted Remus naked and in the tub with her—they both knew she needed a moment for herself because she never made time for that, save the past weekend.

Hermione walked tentatively out of the bathroom, clad only in a short purple bath robe, a half hour later. Remus was lounging on her bed with a book and she couldn't believe how sexy he looked like that. His eyes met hers after half a second and he beckoned her over. She crawled next to him and her hands immediately started to trail down his chest to unbutton his shirt but he gently pushed her away and drew the covers over her.

"There will be plenty of time for that later love, trust me, I just want to hold you," he told her and she nearly melted into him as he cuddled with her. He told her she was beautiful and that he loved her and they talked about Greece and everything and anything in between. Hermione felt so happy there in his arms, looking around at her room brightened with her favorite flowers. He hadn't made it so much of a big-to-do, but he still showed her he cared.

"'Mione, 'Mione love, wake up darling," Remus' voice whispered quietly into her ear as she slowly woke up from a quite rejuvenating nap a little while later. She smiled as she stretched in his arms and he sat up. He reached over to the bedside table and handed her a letter that was addressed to her in Sirius' aristocratic scrawl.

"This came for you while you were asleep," he said as she opened it.

"He wants me to come by the apartment before the dinner. Says he has a surprise…" she bit her lip anxiously. Whatever Sirius was planning, she was sure it was more elaborate than what Remus had done-and although it made her stomach jolt happily, she was still a bit nervous.

"Well by all means go…I had my surprise, and he has his I'm sure…so I'll see you at the Burrow at 6?" Remus asked and she nodded. He slowly got out of bed and she pouted at the loss of his warm body next to her but he raised an eyebrow at her and she got up and began to get ready.

Twenty minutes later she was knocking on the penthouse door in the flirty black cocktail dress Ginny had helped her pick out in Greece for her birthday. When Sirius answered, he looked like his eyes were about to pop out of his head.

"You can't be this damn sexy! How in the bloody world am I supposed to control myself around all of your friends tonight when you look like this?!" Sirius faux-whined, but she knew he wasn't joking too much.

"I think you will manage, so where is this surprise?" Hermione placed her hands on her hips expectantly and Sirius just laughed his loud, bark-like laugh that filled the room.

"Oh it's here kitten, but I admit I had ulterior motives. I really just wanted to finish what we started earlier…" he leaned down and kissed her hard on the lips and she instinctively wrapped her arms around him. He just looked so damn good standing there all dressed up too, she couldn't help herself. They continued to kiss, stumbling and giggling to his bedroom where he spun her around so her back faced him and planted lingering kisses down her neck until he reached her dress. With skilled fingers he unzipped the pretty garment and slipped it off carefully, leaving her in just frilly black knickers.

"You are going to kill me Hermione…" Sirius groaned as she crawled onto his bed, arching her back teasingly.

"You aren't that old…oh wait…" she giggled.

"You need to learn to watch that hot mouth of yours," Sirius very nearly growled, taking his fingers and running them over her pink lips that were swollen from kissing.

"Highly unlikely," she smarted back and he crushed his mouth against hers, laying her down on the bed beneath him and running his hands over her smooth, pale body. She hurriedly undressed him, trying to take care to not wrinkle his party attire too much, but she wanted him so badly that it hardly mattered after a few moments. Skin was on skin after what seemed like forever and they both moaned in relief.

Sirius teased her wet center with his finger before slowly easing himself inside of her when she very nearly begged for him. They rocked together as he lavished kisses on her neck and breasts and she scraped her nails down his back as they both climbed higher and higher with pleasure. Every touch was intense. The dig of his palm into her hips, the nipping of her teeth against his ear, him tugging at her long curls, and her wrapping her legs around him as he thrust into her harder-it was as if they were on fire.

Hermione came first, screaming out for him along with a slew of profanities that only she could make sexy coming off of her lips, and he followed right after, spilling himself inside of her before clutching her tightly to him before resting his head between her breasts. They lay like that for a few moments, happy and sated, until Sirius remembered the real reason he had called her there in the first place. He cursed his randy self before giving her a sweet kiss.

"I love you Hermione. Can you get dressed, so we can get to the real surprise?" he asked and she nodded a little sleepily.

"That was already quite the birthday gift," she giggled and he swatted her playfully on the arse before getting back into his clothes and straightening up. He helped her into her dress and she smoothed out her hair before he led her into the living room.

She hadn't noticed it before, or maybe it was that it hadn't been like that when she had walked in-but the living room lights were dimmed and there were pretty, floating candles all over the place. Sirius stood her in the middle of the room nervously and cleared his throat numerous times.

"Sirius, are you alright?" she asked, looking around and starting to get nervous herself. She was still a bit dazed from their amazing sex, and he was normally more composed than this.

Suddenly, he slowly lowered himself down on one knee and pulled out a small box from his jacket pocket.

"Hermione Granger, you came into my life like a hurricane, landing on my doorstep like a little lost puppy and I honestly had no idea what to do. But it didn't take long for me to fall head over heels in love with you. You are kind, and smart, and gorgeous, and more than that—you have taught me how to love again and how to accept being loved unconditionally. You have, in short, changed my life," Sirius started, his voice quaking.

Hermione looked down at him with wide eyes as he popped open the box and she saw the stunning ring inside.

"Will you marry me Hermione? Will you be my wife?" Sirius asked and she froze.

She had known for a long time that she needed to make a decision between Sirius and Remus, but she had never anticipated that she was worthy of a proposal so she hadn't given it more than a passing thought. Sure, she and Sirius had talked about marriage and children—but for down the road. And now he was on bended knee-the last man she would ever expect to see in that position-asking for her hand.

Hermione had thought that she wouldn't be able to decide between Remus and Sirius, that they were two separate halves of her heart. But now, in that very moment—she knew. As much as she wanted to say yes to Sirius, as much as she loved him and his lovemaking and his teasing—she couldn't ignore the small niggling in her stomach that wished it was Remus in front of her instead.

Her heart had finally made a decision, but it had made it too late. Now he was going to be crushed. She didn't know what to do. Seconds had passed without and answer and Sirius closed the ring box.

"Don't say it," he said quietly, standing up and placing a gentle hand on her cheek.

"Sirius, I'm so sorry…" she started to cry.

"Don't say the word. Please don't say it…I…I…I can't handle if you say 'no'…let's just take this as a goodbye". She could tell he was suffering, she had never seen such a sadness pass over that usually jovial, boyish face of his.

"Sirius, I love you…Merlin how I love you…I am so sorry, but something inside of me just doesn't feel right…" she whispered and he nodded. She just knew he wasn't the one. It wasn't fate.

"Remus deserves you more than I do. But I like to think I put up a good fight…" he tried to laugh, although she could see his eyes were now a bit misty.

"More than a good fight…I will treasure every moment of what we had and I am so sorry it took this to make me realize…"

"Stop apologizing love, I knew it wasn't a sure thing, but it was a risk I was willing to take for you. I want you to know I love you, even if at the end of the day, you want his ring around your finger, not mine," Sirius said maturely. Hermione was suddenly filled with a rush of pride for him—he had grown up so much.

"You are an amazing man, Sirius Black."

"This I know, and you are an amazing woman," he kissed her cheek, "I don't regret asking. I'll get over it…eventually," he smirked. He knew in his heart that it would take him a hell of a long time, but being with her for those few short months was ultimately worth the pain.

"You really do mean the world to me," Hermione told him, looking up into his dark eyes. He smiled.

"This isn't the end for us, it's just the end for _this_," he nodded and she hugged him, "Now…you have a dinner to be at…"

"You aren't coming?" she asked sadly.

"I think I might be a bit of a downer in my current state…and I have a bottle of firewhiskey calling my name, but happy birthday love…" Sirius winked at her. She knew that he of course wouldn't want to be around her and Remus right now. She couldn't imagine how heartbroken he must be, and if she was honest with herself, she as a bit heartbroken too.

With one last chaste kiss goodbye, Hermione left the apartment and apparated to the burrow, her mind reeling over the ending to that relationship.

She was greeted by Mrs. Weasley, who threw her arms around Hermione and dragged her into the house that smelled delicious. Dinner was ready and all of her friends were there, and she noticed happily that Tonks and Ron were both missing. Remus as lingering in the background, letting her get assaulted by Ginny and the Twins.

"Where's Padfoot?" Remus asked as they sat down to dinner. Harry squeezed Hermione's hand happily from her other side.

"Not feeling well," Hermione said vaguely and he gave her a suspicious look.

"Didn't he have something to ask you?" Harry said, almost panicked and Hermione tried not to show any emotion. Harry would know in time, and this was obvious the secret he was keeping.

"Harry, he was really ill," she lied. She knew it was wrong-but she also knew Sirius would appreciate the space.

"Oh…okay," he shrugged, still a bit hesitantly before raising his glass for a toast, "Happy birthday to the closest thing I have to a sister—my best friend—Hermione. All the happiness in the world," Harry smiled at her.

"Here here!" George cried out obnoxiously and they all clinked glasses. Dinner was lively and although the sad event with Sirius tugged at her mind, she knew—sitting next to Remus—that she had made the right choice. Her heart was overjoyed just being in his presence, and she was finally starting to comprehend the depths of her love for him. When she wasn't distracted by sharing her heart—she could finally realize how complete it was with just him. The thought both thrilled and scared her.

After a delicious strawberry chocolate cake, complete with trick candles compliments of the Twins, Remus took an opportunity to steal away with Hermione out to the Burrow's spacious, fairy-lit backyard.

He figured that Sirius and Hermione had gotten into a fight or something, since they were always at each other's throats—but usually in a more playful way. Remus had never known Sirius to be upset enough to miss a party, but he didn't want to push it with Hermione.

"Have you had a nice birthday?" he asked her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. The lights reflected little glowing orbs onto their faces.

"It will be a day I won't soon forget…" she said non-committedly, trying to hide her guilt for ruining Sirius' day—or quite possibly year. Remus dug in his pocket and pulled out a small box, at which point Hermione seriously thought she was going to faint.

"Your birthday present," he smiled sheepishly, handing it over to her. She took it, confused that he wasn't getting down on one knee as well, and opened the box.

She gasped happily and a smile lit up her face in true bliss for the first time since her and Sirius had broken up.

Inside the jewelry box was an intricate silver chain with a flat, slightly curved silver disk pendant hanging from it. It shined like the moon and Hermione could instantly see that it looking like the full moon was Remus' intention without being too obvious about it. She looked up at him with bright eyes to thank him but he reached into her palm and flipped the necklace over.

On the backside was the rune for 'eternal love' inscribed delicately. Hermione's hand closed around it and she brought it close to her heart, too overcome with emotion to speak for a few seconds.

"Do you like it? I know it's a bit much…"

"Remus…" was all Hermione could say as she hurriedly fastened the necklace around her neck. It looked beautiful on her and flung her arms around Remus, letting the box drop from her hands onto the grass, "I love it. It's perfect. And I love you."

"I love you too. I thought…with all of this…with me and Sirius…well that whatever happens you can wear this necklace and know that my love for you is forever-regardless," Remus told her with a bit of sadness in his eyes. Hermione realized that while she and Sirius had just had goodbye sex…this was Remus' way of saying goodbye.

"No…Remus, Sirius and I broke up tonight. Forever. For good. _I want you_, and I can promise you this will never leave my neck," she told him and watched as a myriad of emotions flicked over his face; from shock to worry to sheer bliss.

"You…want_ me_? You're sure?" he almost laughed at himself as he questioned it. She nodded.

"Remus you don't just have my heart, you have my soul…and I need you," she said, biting her lip after to keep the happy tears from flowing. He showered her with kisses as he kept her in the tight embrace, finally picking her up to swing her around, telling her he loved her over and over under the stars and the half-full moon.

Sirius would always have part of Hermione's heart, but Hermione knew that Remus would always have so much more.

And so began Remus and Hermione's happily-ever-after.

**A/N: Well-there you have it! The Epilogue will explain more and will show the wedding and both Remus and Hermione, as well as Sirius a few years down the road. As promised, my lovely friend onebigscribble gets Sirius all wrapped up in a bow with some wine and chocolate for helping me out with the story! Love all of my reviewers, and please tell me what you think or what you hope to see in the epilogue1**


	31. Epilogue

**One Year Later**

"Sirius Orion Black, you DO NOT disturb her, she is getting dressed!" Molly Weasley screamed up the staircase of the Burrow at Sirius' retreating form. He threw his arm back behind him in a 'shoo-ing' motion and continued clomping up the stairs. He was wearing a purple velvet blazer over a cream colored shirt tucked into the tight leather pants he had grown so fond of wearing. He knew he clashed with the entire color scheme of Remus and Hermione's wedding but he really didn't give a damn. Only within the past month had he really come to terms with their relationship and started to move on, but he wasn't quite healed yet.

Sirius didn't bother knocking, just waltzed into Ginny's bedroom which had been transformed into the Bride's dressing room. No one bothered to tell him to leave—the girls were all too smart to know that he wouldn't.

"Where is the woman of the hour?" he asked Luna who was flitting around in her knee-length midnight blue bridesmaid dress.

"Ginny is buttoning her up, she'll be right out…" the blonde said airily. He stood with his hands in his jacket pockets nervously, wondering what it would be like to see his former love in a wedding dress on a day that didn't involve him meeting her at the end of the aisle.

He didn't have to wait long. Ginny and Hermione walked out of the bathroom that had been magically enlarged for the time being. Ginny looked stunning in her blue dress that complimented her pale skin nicely-but Hermione was absolutely breathtaking.

Her wedding dress was a strapless bodice with at least a hundred little buttons up the back that flowed out over her hips to a full skirt with a long train. The entire thing was white lace and it was glamorous and vintage at the same time. Her usually curly hair was straightened and pinned up and she was very nearly glowing in excitement. She hardly looked like the girl who had battled valiantly in the second war—she looked feminine and soft and most of all: happy.

Sirius' breath was momentarily taken away at the sight of her, and he noticed happily that there was no bite mark on her bare shoulder. Hermione had picked out that style of dress to show everyone, and mostly Sirius, that she hadn't been marked by Remus yet.

"You look lovely, and as the best man I have come to bring you good news. Remus has not gotten cold feet and is still in the house," he winked at Hermione who rolled her eyes. It had been a hard transition for them after the break-up, and for the few months after Remus had proposed. The wedding had come so quickly and she knew it couldn't be easy for Sirius. However, they were slowly starting to fall back into friendship, a deep friendship that still had a lot of love. Besides Harry and Ginny—Sirius was now her best friend.

"Do you have everything you need? Something old, new, borrowed, and blue-all that traditional nonsense?" he asked and Ginny's face suddenly went pale.

"Shit! I forgot…" she groaned.

"And what a top-notch maid of honor you are," Sirius smirked. Ginny threw him a murderous look.

"She has my garter on…that's borrowed," Fleur chimed in.

"And her knickers are blue," Luna shrugged while Hermione blushed profusely.

"But we are missing the old and new parts," Hermione finished. Sirius pulled out a little box from his pocket.

"I banked on that fact…here you go, my wedding present to you," he offered it to her and she opened it to find a pair of beautiful diamond earrings.

"Sirius this is too much…"

"No it's not, actually. I had the diamond removed from your…erm…birthday present, and split in two to make the earrings. Something old made new. And mostly because the return policy was shit on the ring," he joked. She took them out of the box and fastened them onto her ears, smiling.

"Thank you, they are perfect," she said softly and he nodded in reply.

"You really do look beautiful," he told her.

"Stop being such a sap…" Hermione sniffed back a tear, dabbing at her eye as she playfully pushed him out of the room, "Now go and make sure my groom is at the end of the aisle alright?"

A half hour later, Remus John Lupin and Hermione Jean Granger were standing before their friends and the friends that were their family to exchange vows. It was a simple wedding, with Arthur Weasley officiating, and Fleur, Ginny, and Luna standing by Hermione and Sirius, Harry, and Bill standing by Remus.

"And now for the exchanging of the rings," Arthur smiled, having to hold back some tears. His wife was openly bawling in the front row—Molly was always a mess at any wedding. Ron sat near the back, but Tonks hadn't been invited.

"Hermione, you have accepted me in ways no one else in the world has. You have a beautiful heart and soul and I love you more than a lifetime of words could ever tell you. You are my friend, my supporter, my lover, my confidant, and you helped me realize the man I could be. I stand before you today as that man because of you. I promise to be forever loyal and faithful to you, to keep you safe, and to love you as long as I will live," Remus told her softly, slipping a very intricate gold band onto her left ring finger and it rested over the simple engagement ring he had given her six months prior. Hermione's smile filled her entire face before she shakily took his ring in her hand.

"Remus, I could not imagine my life without you. Somehow I always knew we were tied by fate. I always looked up to you, and saw you as my safe-keeper, but I never imagined you would be my everything. Thank you for reaffirming my faith in true love, and showing me that I am worthy to be loved. You have helped me to grow, and I know that this adventure with you will be wonderful. I love you so much," Hermione told him, her eyes saying more than she could because she was very nearly speaking through soft happy sobs. She slipped the ring on his finger and he beamed.

"You may now kiss your bride Remus," Arthur smiled and Remus took his wife into his arms, kissing her passionately as everyone clapped for them. Sirius cheered the loudest, glad that his best friends in the entire world were happy.

**000**

**8 hours later**

Remus carried Hermione over the threshold of their hotel room in Paris. It was where she had wanted to go for their honeymoon and he had absolutely no objection. She was still in her wedding dress, and he was still in his tux; although they were both a little worse for wear after the raucously fun reception that had followed the wedding. They were both a little tipsy and Remus laid his new bride down on the bed before locking the door and putting up a silencing charm.

"I can't believe Sirius caught the garter," Hermione giggled.

"Oh I can, and I'm glad he did too…" Remus laughed along with her, loosening his tie before crawling onto the big plush bed with his new bride. He lay next to her, his fingers running over her bare neck and onto the necklace he had given her for her birthday, "Today was perfect."

"More than perfect," Hermione sighed contentedly.

"Are you sure you want to do this tonight? You must be exhausted…" Remus asked nervously and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"_Husband_…of course I do. I've waited for you to mark me long enough. I held out till today because your silly thing about Sirius being upset, but now there are no more excuses. It would be a perfect end to my wedding day, please."

"How can I say no to be gorgeous wife then?" Remus asked, leaning over her to kiss her on the lips. She couldn't even believe how lucky she was as she felt him part her lips with his tongue and slowly and sweetly taste her. She explored him back, loving that he always tasted like chocolate and pepper and really good wine. He slipped an arm around the bodice of her dress, pulling her up to him before parting from her and moving behind her on the bed.

"You are my angel" Remus whispered to her, kissing her on the back of her neck that was exposed by her now messy up-do. His fingers made their way to the first small satin button and he took his time freeing her from her dress, his hands tracing lightly down every new inch of skin he exposed before he was able to help her slip out of it entirely.

She then stood before him in only a pair of dark blue panties, her creamy skin against the fabric making her look like a goddess along with the few tendrils of hair that were escaping from the intricate twist Ginny had fastened it into earlier. Hermione reached out to him and further undid his tie, tossing it to the floor before unbuttoning his shirt in the same maddeningly slow way, but instead of her fingers, she used her lips to tease each new bit of his bare chest until he shrugged off the shirt. She made quick work of his black pants until they were both in the same state of undress. She pushed him down onto the bed, crawling on top of him and admiring him.

"Looking at you is incredible," she gushed. She was nervous and so happy and so in love at the same time. She traced light fingers over the scars on his body that only served to make him more real and more perfect. She was so happy that he could be himself with her-there was no pretense and it was sexy.

"Come here sweetheart," he grabbed her hand and pulled her down closer so she was lying on his chest. He kissed her again and soon it turned into a more passionate embrace. They were panting for each other, writhing against one another for friction and Remus moved his love so that her head was resting on the soft pillows of the bed. He moved down her body, worshipping every inch of her until he got to the lace surrounding one of his favorite parts of her. He tugged the knickers down and began to lick slowly up her folds, tasting her sweetness as she moaned softly, her hips twitching and her hands tugging gently at his sandy hair. When he had teased her until he was sure _he_ was going to break, he moved back up her soft, pale body to meet her mouth again as he tugged off his boxers.

Remus slowly eased himself inside of her and she wrapped her arms around his neck as they fell into a slow rhythm that allowed them to savor every sensation of their lovemaking. His kisses moved from her lips to her neck and down to the soft spot over her left breast, right above her heart. She tensed under his touch and he broke away from her.

"Are you sure? I don't have to..." he asked her, still slowly pumping in and out of her.

"No please, I need you to, just hold me…" Hermione said bravely, but she was still nervous. He moved back to kissing her beasts and then back to the spot where he wanted to mark her. Without any more warning, Hermione suddenly felt a hot flash of pain at that spot but Remus continued to kiss there, even though he had just bitten down and broken the skin.

But as they made love, things seemed so much more different. It was like the world had more color to it, and that everything was calm and happy and would forever remain that way. Hermione felt more than connected to Remus, she felt a part of him. Their souls connected in an ancient and mystic bond that could never be fully understood. They came together, both holding onto each other tightly and calling out for one another, with orgasms that rocked them to the core. They collapsed into the bed, panting, and smiled as Remus reached over to touch the bite above her breast.

The wound was slowly fading, and within a few moments, it was but a semi-circle scar and right above it appeared the ancient rune for 'eternal love', the exact one inscribed on her necklace. It would stay there forever, as a permanent, magical tattoo and they were both in shock that the rune had been that one.

Werewolf lore told that many numbers of runes could appear above the scar of the one marked, and they both knew that the appearance of this one only solidified more their happy fate.

"I love you, Mrs. Lupin," Remus said, looking into her eyes—his wife's eyes—his mate's eyes.

"And I you, eternally," she smiled.

**000**

**2 years later**

"_Siri! Put Sophie down!_ You know 'Mione doesn't trust you with her yet…" Emily, his very steady girlfriend, yelled at him when she walked into the living room of his apartment and found he had taken Sophie out of her crib.

"Shhh! She trusts me just fine…"

"She's a new mother, she doesn't trust anyone," Emily chided Sirius but then planted a very sweet kiss on his cheek and he smiled, carefully placing baby Sophie Lupin back into her crib. Remus and Hermione had come over for a visit, but the new mother of the three month old had been so exhausted that she had decided to nap with her husband in the guest bedroom Sirius still kept.

Emily and Sirius stayed by the crib, watching the beautiful baby giggle up at them happily. Sirius couldn't have been happier. Emily had come into his life a year after Remus and Hermione had been married. He had just run into her at the Leaky, and started up a conversation with her. He had never seen her before, but something about her just captivated him and he had come to terms with the loss of Hermione long before.

She had long auburn hair that fell to the middle of her back and grey eyes—a stunning combination. She was voluptuous and spunky, and she was always giving Sirius shit. She challenged him and he loved it. But she had kept him tame too, in the vein that Hermione had started before. They were perfect for each other, and Sirius couldn't wait to make her his wife soon.

It had taken a little while for Hermione to warm up to Emily. She knew she had no right to be jealous of the woman-who was sweet and beautiful and much closer to Sirius' age-and yet there was that little pang for a few months. Sirius and Hermione had become more than closer, the best of friends, and she would always love him, but her undying devotion to Remus prevented that jealous pang from lasting too long.

Soon Emily and Hermione were fast friends, and both couples hung out regularly, with Ginny and Harry as well, who had had their first child; James, a few months before. And Sirius couldn't have been more in love with Sophie. He spoiled her rotten and she had captured his heart instantly. He took every moment he could to play with her and hold her, even if Hermione protested. She was a nervous mother and Remus found it most endearing.

Emily and Sirius both turned when they heard the loud yawn behind them. Remus held Hermione's hand as she walked into the living room, looking sleepy but happy. She walked to the crib immediately and grabbed up her little baby.

"I love our perfect family," Hermione smiled, kissing her darling baby girl on the head as she looked at her husband and Sirius and his new love. Everyone was happy. Little Sophie reached up with her pudgy little hand to touch the exposed rune above Hermione's breast and Remus looked on, overjoyed at the beauty of his wife and daughter together. It was a beautiful thing.

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed! I am thinking about writing a Sirius/Hermione story for all of you that wanted this to go the other way, thoughts? I can't believe this story is over! Wow!**


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